Tsubomi
by JMarines150
Summary: Ruby ambushed Weiss late one night with a confession of love. It turns out, Weiss is pretty much okay with that. However, dark clouds loom on the horizon, and an ancient and little known foe stirs. Contains yuri, mild swearing, lemons, and an excessive amount of fluff. Bumblebee side feature.
1. Budding

Tsubomi – A RWBY Story

Pairings: White Rose and Bumblebee

Hello again! JM here with a new story for White Rose. It'll feature a little bit of Bumblebee, but the focus will be on Ruby and Weiss's budding relationship. (Hence the name "Tsubomi" meaning something similar to a budding flower in Japanese, if I remember correctly.)

Usual disclaimers, I do not own RWBY, Ruby, team RWBY, or anything official.

* * *

Ruby watched Weiss as the pale-haired girl studied for an up-coming test. The younger girl was relaxing on her perilously suspended and tilted bed, and the pale-haired girl was sitting at the lone desk in the room that team RWBY shared. The heiress had an air of intensity that was almost visible as an aura of crackling energy.

Which, of course, made Ruby want to do something to break that concentration.

She had been pondering the specifics of what to do to drive Weiss up the wall for almost five minutes now, leaving her own school work to be done later; after all, they still had two weeks before the test was administered. She'd skipped over the idea of throwing something at the older girl, or slipping ice down her shirt. The ice idea had been tempting, but Ruby half-seriously thought that the sudden cold wouldn't disturb the ice queen.

Her eyes kept going back to a portion of exposed neck on the silver-haired girl. Every time they did, she felt a surge of now familiar feelings. She'd realized not too long ago that she'd probably fallen in love with Weiss, but didn't have the experience or inclination to act on her feelings, thinking herself content to watch and continue to get closer to the other girl.

Weiss brushed at her long side ponytail and Ruby abruptly felt a plan fall in to place. Quietly, she rolled off of her bed, padding on silent feet, pausing behind the older girl as she found herself lacking the courage to follow through on her plan. It was one thing to face down a crowd of monsters. It was another thing to quickly make friends with both students and teachers.

But to declare her love? To make herself vulnerable in a way that she had never been before? Or worse, alienate a friend?

She had never had problems expressing herself to others. From the moment she met someone, she tried to be friendly, even to those who might not seem deserving at first meeting; such as her first encounter with Weiss. Ruby knew that she was often considered odd for her easy acceptance of others, but it just made sense to her.

After all, she had plenty of evidence to show that being kind to others made for lasting relations. Weiss, Blake, Penny, and even Juane and Sun might have seemed like too much effort to befriend or maintain friendship with to other people, but Ruby took it for granted that kindness bred kindness. And that attitude allowed her to be the energetic, accepting girl that she was. New things never frightened her, indeed they usually excited her. She enjoyed a challenge, and never backed down from a fight. She knew that by relying on her strength and doing the best that she could, she would have no regrets.

Her feelings for the girl that she even now still crouched behind, though, they threatened to push her over the edge. Her desire to touch and be touched; to share everything that she was with the older girl was not something that she knew how to deal with. One wrong step here and she could find herself losing one of the few things that she cherished above all else: friendship.

She knew by experience now that Weiss was not an entirely unreasonable person. Sure, the heiress had moments, okay, days, where she was completely unmanageable, but that only made the moments when she softened all the more precious. She knew that the older girl held many wounds inside her heart that would make deepening their relationship difficult, maybe even impossible.

But as she heard the silver-haired girl let out a sigh, Ruby knew that she had reached a point where she couldn't keep her feelings to herself anymore.

A grin lit up her face, and she leaned forward to place her lips against Weiss's neck.

Instantly, the older girl leapt in her chair, letting out an undignified squeal of surprise. As she did, she turned in the air, actually managing to turn an embarrassing moment into a graceful pirouette. "Ruby?! What the hell?!"

Keeping a grin on her face to counter the slowly building fear within her, the dark-haired girl answered quickly. "I was thinking it was really boring having the two of us in the same room and not even talking. Do you know how long it's been since we did something, just the two of us?"

The silver-haired girl opened her mouth in automatic protest, but shut it when she caught just a hint of something in Ruby's silver eyes. She looked closer and saw tiny signs of desperation across the younger girl's face. "Alright, what's this really about?"

"Wow Weiss!" The team leader exclaimed, distracted by the insight the older girl had displayed. "Look at how close we've gotten, you're able to read me really well now!"

"Yeah, whatever." Turquoise eyes rolled. "What's bothering you?" The heiress pressed.

"Well…" The dark-haired girl hesitated, and then let her emotions loose. "ItsjustthatIvebeenthinkingalotlatelyandIthinkIvefalleninloveyouNotasafriendbutassomethingmoreandIcantstopthinkingaboutkissingyouorholdingyourhandorbeingreallyclosetoyouandpleasedonthateme." Ruby sucked in a breath.

"Uhm, come again?" The older girl said, hardly able to follow the rapid-fire confession.

"I, uh, might have just told you that I'm in love with you." The dark-haired girl admitted, a blush darkening her cheeks.

"Oh, is that all?" Weiss asked, moving to turn the chair at the desk around to face the younger girl. She calmly took a seat and then a moment later her eyes widened and she jumped to her feat. "Wait, WHAT?!"

"I said I think I've fallen for you, Weiss." The scythe-wielder repeated.

"Ruby, I'm going to ask you to think about this really hard for a moment." The older girl's eyes were still extremely wide. "Do you really think that you love me?"

Ruby didn't even hesitate. "I **have** been thinking about it, Weiss. I've been thinking for so long. And I'm sick of just thinking. You know how I like to just jump into things, but I actually thought about this. A lot. And I think I love you." She shook her head. "No, I **know** I love you."

The heiress stood silently for a long moment, looking into the younger girl's silver eyes. Then she sighed and a smile spread across her face. "Well, I'm not saying that I'm totally opposed to the idea. You're still a total dolt though."

With a squeal, Ruby leaped to hug the older girl and the heiress was just barely able to get her arms under the team leader's legs in time to catch her. "Oh, that's just wonderful!"

Surprised by how much she was enjoying the feel of having the younger girl so close to her, Weiss sat down, centering the scythe-wielder on her lap as she did so. "So…" She started. "What made you, ahem, fall for me?" She smiled in a slightly mocking manner. "Was it the fact that I'm totally amazing? All of my riches? My knock-out figure?"

"Well, I will admit that you're totally amazing." The younger girl conceded. "But I think that it was when you started proving that you aren't just some spoiled rich girl."

"Hey!" Weiss interjected.

The dark-haired girl laid two fingers over the older girl's lips. "When you accepted Blake, when you admitted to knowing what your father's been doing with the Schnee Corporation… I have to admit, when we first met, I knew you were beautiful, but I had no idea how much more you would become when you started showing your soft side."

"So you **did** fall for my body. I knew it!" The silver-haired girl said against Ruby's fingers.

The younger girl moved the fingers that had been against the heiress's lips and used them to trace the scar across Weiss's left eye. "And who could blame me?" She asked lightly, intoxicated by the older girl's beauty.

Ruby could see the heiress's pupils dilate as she caressed the scar, and she lifted her other hand to lie against the older girl's neck.

The silver-haired girl's breathing began to come more quickly, and she and the scythe-wielder's gazes began to mirror the other's emotions. Slowly, almost painfully so, Weiss raised her right hand from the younger girl's waist, keeping her left pressed against Ruby's back, to brush softly against the team leader's cheek. Enjoying the sensation, she brushed her fingers back and forth a few more times. Then, she made a decision and that hand moved to tangle with the dark hair and she pulled the other girl's lips to meet hers.

The younger girl was quick to accept the kiss, leaning even more heavily against the heiress, but after only a moment she could sense that Weiss was still hesitating. She pulled back and continued to trace her thumb across the scar. "What's wrong?"

The older girl's lips tightened and then she sighed. "It's silly."

"What."

"I'm afraid that you won't think I'm a good kisser."

Ruby couldn't help herself; she burst out laughing. The heiress pressed her lips together even tighter, but made no move to detach herself from the younger girl.

After a few more seconds, the scythe-wielder reined herself in and looked seriously into the older girl's eyes. "That's… Not possible."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you're, well, you. Sure, in the open-hearted department you might be lacking a little bit, but once you commit to something you do it really well. It makes me a little jealous sometimes, actually."

"Really?" The silver-haired girl perked up.

"Yes, really."

"Alright." This time she was confident, and she pulled Ruby into another kiss.

When their lips touched, it sparked something within the older girl, and she felt something that she had never felt before. And she wanted more. She kissed the younger girl with abandon, using the hand in the scythe-wielder's hair to crush their lips together. Ruby squeaked in surprise and that only spurred Weiss on harder. She lost all sense of time and propriety as the kiss continued and it wasn't until the team leader pushed her back that she even thought about what she was doing.

"Wow, Weiss…" It was finally Ruby's turn to have wide eyes. "That was… Very hot."

The heiress couldn't help it, and a blush flashed across her face. "I blame you for saying you love me out of nowhere, just saying."

"I'll take it." The dark-haired girl smiled.

"Dolt." Weiss buried her head in Ruby's shoulder.

* * *

Chapter one: finished! Yes, you read that right, chapter one. Meaning that there will be more for this one. Despite my (apparently?) large vocabulary, I can't even begin to describe how much I love the idea of Ruby caressing that scar across Weiss's face. It's pretty much one of the most inherently intoxicating images I've ever imagined, and honestly, sometimes it keeps me up at night, thinking about scenarios where Ruby could do that. I will be continuing this story, so if you like the idea even nearly as much as I do, keep tuned. Don't worry if you're not as thrilled with the idea though, I'll reign it in somewhat.

If I didn't already say it, I really liked writing this one, and I hope you enjoyed reading it. Reviews and criticism is a nice way to show your appreciation. But if you only have nasty things to tell me, you can go bungee-jumping… Without the bungee-cord.


	2. Ignorance

Chapter Two: Ignorance

Chapter two! Before I get right into the actual story, a little bit of a surprise update: this isn't the first chapter two for a RWBY story of mine. That's right; I uploaded a new chapter for "Chipped Diamond" before I uploaded this one: even though "Chipped Diamond" was supposed to be a one-shot. (Still kinda is: chapter two for "Chipped Diamond" is REALLY short.)

Anyway, that aside, chapter two is mostly just more fluff. I wanted to get at least one more chapter of pure romance in before… Well, let's just say that I am 'plotting', so to speak.

Disclaimers: Same things apply as before. RWBY is not mine. If it did ships would have already set sail, rather than staying in harbor. XD

* * *

"Ruby, honestly, sometimes I wonder if we're really going out." Weiss said with a fair amount of frustration in her voice.

"What do you mean, Weiss?" Ruby asked, confused by the statement.

"I mean that since we started dating, sure, we've hung out a lot more, and we've talked almost more than I thought possible, but you are so shy about the other side of dating: the physical part." The heiress made sure that she held the younger girl's gaze as she delivered the last part of that sentence. "I mean, you hug everyone all the time, and it used to bug the hell out of me, because you did it to me too, but now that we're actually a couple, you seem to not want to touch me at all."

Ruby squirmed uncomfortably under Weiss's passive-aggressive gaze, and turned her eyes to view the street through darkly tinted windows. They were currently at a café that they had discovered while trying to find a place they could meet up away from sharp cat-ears and over-protective older sisters. It was attractively decorated and boasted a regular amount of business: mostly from return customers. It was in an out of the way location that almost guaranteed that they wouldn't encounter others from Beacon.

Its location wasn't the only thing that had appealed to the girls that had been seeking privacy. The café not only had a regular public dining area and bar, but also had a number of secluded booths. The booths were really almost separate rooms.

They hadn't yet decided to share the news of their relationship with the others, not even Yang and Blake, and so they had sought an out-of-the-way location for their rendezvous. Neither of them would have been surprised if the two other girls on the team suspected them, however.

"It's because of how you kissed me, that first day." Ruby finally admitted. "It… kinda scared me, how much I liked it. And so I've been trying to hold off on touching you just yet."

The heiress blinked once. "So you're telling me that you can face down maniacal baddies, criminal organizations, or giant Grims without blinking an eye, but you get frightened at the idea of touching your girlfriend? For fear of what it might lead to?"

The silver-eyed girl nodded shortly. "Yep, that about sums it up."

"Gods, that just makes me want to kiss you right now." Weiss looked at Ruby through smoldering lashes as she spoke.

"Uhm, you did hear what I said, right?" The dark-haired girl asked nervously as the heiress started to slide around their booth to get closer to the younger girl.

"Oh, I absolutely did. And I'm curious to see what could happen if I ignored it." The silver-haired girl was getting closer, and the team leader suddenly reached out a hand and placed a finger against the older girl's forehead.

"Weiss, please, I was being serious." The younger girl could feel heat on her face and knew she was blushing furiously. And she felt butterflies in her stomach even with the small contact that she made with the other girl.

"So was I." The heiress replied in a smoky voice. They remained that way for another few seconds, and eventually Weiss relented with as sigh, pulling back. "Fine, have it your way, dolt." She rolled her eyes as she settled into the booth, but still remained closer to the silver-eyed girl than she had been before.

"I'm sorry Weiss, but I do appreciate it." Ruby murmured in apology. Another second or so passed. "How about a compromise then?" She asked with a smile.

"I'm listening." The older girl turned her eyes to meet Ruby's. A pout still remained on the heiress's lips.

"We could hold hands?" A classic cheesy Ruby smile accompanied the question-statement.

Weiss gave a somehow elegant snort in response. "It's better than nothing, I suppose, but honestly, I don't get the big deal." She turned serious. "I really don't. What are you so afraid of?"

The younger girl turned her face away from the silver-haired girl. As she did, she slid her hand towards the heiress, who eagerly entwined their fingers. "It's kinda hard to put into words. It's like I really, REALLY, want to touch you, and I want you to touch me just about the same amount, but…" Ruby paused, searching for the right words. "When we're actually in contact, there's this burning sensation that just wants, no needs, more, and it scares me because I don't want to ever be apart from you." She smiled softly. "You know I try not to think about things too much, but the fact remains that we are huntresses, and our lives are not guaranteed. I know that I love you so much that if you were to die, I'd probably just keel over too." Her cheeks burned during the entirety of her answer.

"You know Ruby; I think that's just a load of bull." The younger girl's eyes widened in surprise at Weiss's response. "The idea that you love only me that hard, anyway. I know that with the way you are, you'd be hurt just as much if Yang or Blake died. Hell, you'd probably feel the same if even Juane died. But it's not about that. I think that it's because you're afraid to hurt me." The heiress squeezed the hand that she was holding. "But Ruby; isn't that also my decision? I mean, you were the one who confessed to me, after all. I was surprised, for sure, but when I'm touching you I know that it was only a matter of time before I would have done the same thing to you. I'm so glad that our feelings are so close, but it's almost more painful with things the way you're trying to keep them. I never want to be apart from you either, and instead of worrying about anything, or being afraid that I'll hurt you, I'd rather just we were together and let things sort themselves out. I know that relationships are hard work, but I WANT to try this with you and part of making relationships work is the physical aspect." Weiss brought the dark-haired girl's hand up to her lips. "So please don't hesitate anymore. Just let us be a couple."

Ruby stared in amazement at her girlfriend. It's true that they had been getting closer lately, but as she had listened to the heiress speak, she realized that nothing she said was wrong. It amazed her how well her partner had gotten to know her, and she felt tears well up in her eyes.

"You're right, of course." She smiled through the tears. "You really are amazing, you know."

"Of course I'm amazing, you dolt." Weiss whispered in response, pulling the younger girl into her arms.

It didn't take very long for the older girl to become impatient with keeping to an embrace alone, and she let her lips find Ruby's. At first the scythe-wielder froze as their lips met, still slightly bound to her faulty logic. But she could feel the heiress's emotions through the kiss: could feel the depths of the other girl's love for her at every point their bodies met, and in the face of such strong emotions, she relented, returning the kiss. And as she did so she could feel just how right it was that she did so.

She could feel her worries and concerns melt away in the face of their mounting passion. She marveled at how well their bodies fit together. She enjoyed the way that being encircled in Weiss's arms made her feel so secure.

The dam inside of her broke and she fell backwards, pulling the older girl on top of her as she did so. The heiress chuckled wickedly into their kiss at the motion, and she repositioned herself so that she lay directly on top of the younger girl, straddling the scythe-wielder's hips with her legs. Rather than clashing, their tongues met and worked together to bring one another more pleasure as the new position allowed the kiss to increase their passion even higher.

Weiss broke away from the kiss to move her mouth to the dark-haired girl's jawline, where she placed numerous kisses in a row as she worked her way to Ruby's neck. The younger girl pressed her lips together to keep from making a sound as she felt the heiress begin to nip at the soft skin of her neck, sometimes hard enough that she knew there would be a mark later. She let her hands run across the older girl's back, silently giving her encouragement.

But Ruby was not content to be the only one receiving kisses, and a short amount of time later, she reached down and took Weiss's face between her hands and pulled her back up for their lips to meet for a brief moment. Releasing the silver-haired girl, she kissed her way around the older girl's face: passing across her nose, chin, jaw, and both ears. She eventually made her way to Weiss's left eye, and Ruby placed gentle kisses along the length of the scar that ran across it.

Shortly after she did so, their mouths met once again, and they lost all sense of time.

An indeterminate amount of time later, they separated, Weiss pulling the younger girl up into a sitting position as she did so herself. Their eyes met and each saw a reflection of the wonder they felt mirrored in one another.

Ruby broke the moment as she started to laugh, noticing how disheveled the heiress's hair and clothing had become. At first the older girl appeared almost offended at the sudden laughter, but as she took in the other girl's appearance, she too began to laugh and their mirth only drove each other to laugh harder.

Eventually they stopped, gasping for breath, holding onto each other for support.

"Now that's something that we'll have to do more often." Ruby said.

"Hmm…" Weiss agreed, resting her head against the younger girl's shoulder.

* * *

And chapter two: end! I actually don't have much to say in my end notes this time, as I said most of what I wanted to say for this chapter at the beginning. Next chapter will have some adventure type plot introduced. (Gasp)

As always, check out my profile for updates on my stories. (I'll try to update it once a week, but I might not always manage to do so.)

I think I might run on props, unfortunately, and so I am hungry for reviews. Good reviews, brutally honest reviews, and kind words are all tasty. However, reviews that just bash on things make me sick, so please don't try to feed me those. ;)


	3. Flickering

Chapter Three: Flickering

Chapter three took a while to put out because I really needed to get this one right, and I'm sorry for the delay. Other than that, all I have to say is keep your eyes peeled: things aren't always what they appear to be. (Silly me, giving foreshadowing of my foreshadowing. XP)

Oh, and in response to a review, I added some a small description to the cafe in chapter two, so if you want to see that, go ahead and take a quick look.

Disclaimers: Ruby!... Does not belong to me. Nor does Weiss or the world of Remnant. I have mixed feelings on the matter.

* * *

Weiss pinned Ruby up against the wall, her hands holding the younger girl's wrists as she did. She rolled her hips forward, placing them firmly against the dark-haired girl's, further increasing the hold that she had over her. Thus secured, the older girl leaned forward with a low, playful growl and placed her lips against her team leader's. The younger girl was quick to submit to the passionate kiss, and in no time at all their tongues were sliding against each other, exploring the sensations of the other's mouth.

Ruby struggled ever so slightly against the heiress's hold, which mostly only increased the amount of contact that their bodies were making. The older girl's moaned at the feel of her girlfriend rubbing against her and was surprised to both hear and feel a similar moan from the dark-haired girl. They both smiled into the kiss and Weiss let go of the other girl's hands to slide one hand down the younger girl's body to caress her team leader's thigh. The other pulled up a corner of Ruby's shirt and felt the bare skin of her girlfriend's stomach.

With her hands released, the younger girl brought both of her hands to the heiress's face, and deepened the kiss even further. One of her thumbs rubbed against the scar across Weiss's left eye. The index and middle finger of her other hand tapped lightly against the heiress's right ear, and she somewhere had the clarity of mind to note that they were moving to the pace of her heartbeat.

Feeling one of Weiss's hands brush lightly across her lower breasts, Ruby removed her left hand from the heiress's ear, and placed it on the older girl's thigh. She then slowly slid that hand up, savoring the feel of Weiss's skin. As she got ever so slightly higher, she could feel the other girl breathing harder into the kiss, and with an enormous amount of self-control, the younger girl's hand found, and stayed at, the waistband of Weiss's panties.

Naturally, it was at this moment when the girls heard a pointedly loud throat-clearing. As they jumped guiltily away from each other, the intruder spoke. "Having fun, are we, hmm?"

Blushing furiously, the two girls then froze for a few moments seeing Professor Ospin standing before them, an amused look on his face, and at seeing their terror, he took a sip of his coffee.

It took an additional second for the two girls to process that the professor was actually there, and they began to speak over one another.

"It isn't…"

"She was…"

"I think what's…"

"I mean, the dolt…"

They trailed off, lame and pathetic excuses dying quickly. Eventually Ruby cleared her own throat. "We… Were, sir, yes." She placed particular emphasis on the word "were".

"Understandable." He coughed delicately. "It seems to be commonly accepted that things of these natures are best carried out behind closed doors, hmm?" His inflection made it clear, 'get a room', he seemed to be saying.

Ruby and Weiss both blushed even more fiercely, if such a thing was possible, and nodded quickly.

"Still, I suppose this IS a high school, and such things are to be expected." The corner of his lips turned up slightly. "I would hardly be an adequate headmaster were I to punish all students who performed as though they couldn't keep their hands to themselves. I suppose that it may just seem like you can't, right now, I guess." His eyes twinkled with mirth before suddenly sobering. "Still, I was not out looking for you two to discuss the delicacies that make up your youthful romance. I come bearing word of an assignment. I'll let Glynda fill you in on the details, and you should have already received a meeting time on your scrolls."

The headmaster took another sip of his coffee, and the playfulness returned. He stepped past them. "Young love, how quaint." He murmured to himself.

Overcome at the encounter, the two girls leaned against separate walls, and slowly sank to the ground. Almost a minute of stunned silence passed, and then the girls started laughing. Weiss stood up and offered her hand. Ruby took it, and the heiress pulled the dark-haired girl to her feet. They exchanged a quick kiss and then the scythe-wielder pulled out her scroll. A cursory examination gave them the location of the meeting with Glynda, and they headed out.

* * *

They met up with their teammates before they left for the classroom where they were to meet with Glynda Goodwitch.

"So, what do you think this assignment is?" Yang asked with a big grin. "'Cause, I mean, usually they give out assignments in front of everyone, or let you take your pick. This has got to be special, right?"

"What makes you think that there won't be others there when we make it there? Or that there won't be some choices for us?" Blake challenged.

"Well, for one thing, Blake, this classroom is TINY." Weiss answered quickly, holding up her scroll. "And for another, they have a dedicated spot for the mission listings. If we were to get our choice, we'd go to the board."

"That's a good point, Blake." Yang agreed, putting a hand on her hip.

"Yeah, fair enough. I just wanted to make sure you guys had thought it out." Blake rolled her eyes.

"So for sure this is going to be a special assignment for us?" Ruby chipped in. Her eyes turned dreamy. "Ooh, I hope we get something really good. Like maybe taking out one of those goliaths… That would be fun."

"Yeah, and probably suicidal for us right now." Blake gave Ruby a quizzical look. "By the way, where were you and Weiss earlier? We were supposed to have been discussing our team training regimen, but Yang and I just ended up talking about silly things."

Ruby opened her mouth to answer, but Weiss quickly stepped in front of the younger girl. "Oh, you know. We had to do a favor for Professor Oobleck." She lied. "And it took a little bit longer than we thought it would." She felt a blush building on her cheeks as she remembered what she'd actually been doing, and she turned her face away from the blonde and raven haired girls.

"You could have asked for some help, you know." Yang pouted.

"Yeah, well, it wasn't something that we thought we would need help with…" Ruby answered, fighting to maintain a straight face. She really didn't like lying to her teammates, but if Weiss still wanted to try and keep this secret, she would try.

They continued to banter for the next few minutes until they arrived at the prearranged meeting place. Ruby knocked on the door once, and then opened it, leading her team into the small classroom. Glynda stood in the corner opposite of the doorway, looking out a window.

"Hello, team RWBY." She greeted the moment Ruby opened the door. "You are fifteen seconds late."

"Surely you aren't going to hold fifteen seconds against us, right?" Yang asked in an incredulous voice.

"Once you are out of Beacon, you will find that those fifteen seconds might actually make the difference between life and death, even if it is just to make it to a meeting." She turned around and moved to stand behind a desk. "Conversely, sometimes being fifteen seconds early can cause problems as well. You need to learn how to be precisely on time."

"We will work on it." Ruby promised. "So, what's going on?"

In response, Glynda waved her riding crop at the blackboard in the room, and a few pieces of chalk quickly sketched a detailed map of one of the outlying regions of the city of Vale. There were a few 'x'es on the map. "In recent events, your team has proven to have both an extreme lack of judgment that also seems to lead to you both being in the right place at the right time, and to witness events that you shouldn't have been witness to. This is either just fumbling on your part, or really good luck. In either case, I think it's best to try and see if this particular 'skill' continues to follow you." She walked over to the blackboard. "These x marks are locations where some of the forces of Grimm have infiltrated the city, and oddly enough, they have all been Beowulf." Another wave of her crop and another sketch, this one of a Beowulf, appeared.

Only, there were pointed differences. This Beowulf had shorter arms, and a shorter muzzle. It also appeared to stand more upright than others of its kind. It took a moment, and then Ruby's jaw dropped. It was almost like the Beowulf was starting to look more human like.

"I see Miss Ruby has started to grasp the issue at hand." Glynda nodded. "These Beowulf seem to have been starting to look more like humans. I do not know how, and I do not know why. We want team RWBY to spend three days going over this region and looking for other Beowulf's of this kind. Normally, we would trust a situation like this to a senior team of Huntsman, but it appears these Beowulf's have little skill at combat. We will expect a call from you every two hours with your status. Further details will be explained when you leave tomorrow at 5:00 am." With that, Glynda turned on her heels and briskly left through the second door into the classroom.

The four girls gathered around the blackboard and examined it closely. "This is really strange." Blake voiced the opinion of all of them.

"You think?" Weiss asked sarcastically.

"C'mon guys, this will give us a chance to prove our worth." Ruby tried to pacify the two girls.

"If nothing else, it's a chance to see some action." Yang smiled, throwing an arm around Ruby and Blake's shoulders. It's been too long since we got to go all out on something."

Still, staring at the sketch of the strange Beowulfs, Ruby couldn't help but feel a bad sensation in the pit of her stomach.

* * *

And that's chapter three! Fairly short, but I hope you don't mind too much. My main focus for this story is still on the fluffy romance of White Rose, so don't be surprised if every chapter still features more romance than action. That being said, I hope that what I'm building up to will be satisfactory, so… Look forward to it, maybe? XD

Also, I have a lot going on in my life suddenly, and so I think this story will only be updated once a month or so… Sorry, but I need to stay sane(ish) in order to keep writing, so please bear with me. Not to mention that I have other stories that I'm working on.

Check my profile page for story updates. I'll be doing that once a week. (If you haven't seen me saying this on the other chapters…)

Love to see those reviews! It makes my day. Just don't do burn reviews, I don't need to see those. Nobody does. XP


	4. Outwards

Chapter Four: Outwards

Hello once again everyone! I've been struggling with a MAJOR case of writer's block, and so I apologize in advance that this chapter is so short, and so late. I am REALLY upset with myself, I really do have the time to write a chapter for one of my stories at least once a week, but when you aren't in the mood… Well, I'm sure a lot of you know how it goes.

And I love getting those reviews! They help me keep on track and also realize if I'd been doing something differently than what I'd intended, so thanks! (I did something that I hadn't meant to do, so I'll be addressing that this chapter.)

Disclaimers: STILL don't own RWBY… Don't think that'll ever change.

* * *

The morning of their assignment came, and team RWBY woke without their usual fervor. Instinctively, they somehow knew that this wasn't an ordinary assignment, and so they felt somewhat subdued.

Except for Yang, who was rowdier than ever to make up for the silence of her teammates. "Hey everyone! You guys ready to go kick some Grimm ass?"

"I don't think the idea is to fight, you know." Weiss countered waspishly.

"Heh. You know, they always say that, but what's happened the last few times we've gone out on missions? Fighting: that's what!" The blonde punched her fists, clad in Ember Celica, high into the air.

"Of course we always wind up fighting." Blake rolled her eyes. "It's because we've got this oh-so-subtle gung-ho muscle-head always raring for a fight running around."

"You say that like it's a bad thing." The brawler looked at the faunus with an obviously fake wounded expression.

"Well, this time, I think we really should try to avoid fights." Surprisingly, it was Ruby who said it, and all eyes turned to her in shock. "C'mon, it's not that hard to figure it out. We're going to be out there on our own this time, no full Hunters or Huntresses, and only our own wits and power to fall back on." The youngest girl in the room smiled. "Not saying that I don't think we can totally kick some Grimm butt, however, it's not a bad idea to be careful every once in a while."

"Specially since we're supposed to be training in stealth as well as just slicing everything up." Blake added solemnly.

Yang pouted a little but nodded. "Ugh, fine, I'll rein it in some."

On Impulse, Ruby held Weiss back as they were exiting the dorm. "Weiss and I need to talk about something. You two go ahead." She said to Blake and Yang."

"Sure, but you guys need to make sure you don't take long, alright?" The faunus nodded and pulled a curious Yang with her.

"What's up?" Weiss asked as Ruby closed the door to their dorm room.

Ruby pulled the older girl to her and kissed her deeply, her hands cupping the heiress's face. She held the kiss for a few seconds before she pulled away, taking a couple of steps back. "Weiss…" She started. "I love you so much, and I would do almost anything for you." She turned around and took another couple of steps away from the stunned silver-haired girl. "But I don't like the idea of us hiding our relationship from my sister and Blake. I've doing it for now because of how new our relationship is, but the four of us promised not to keep secrets from each other, right?" With those words, the younger girl turned back to her girlfriend, her silver eyes wide with sincerity.

The older girl had recovered from the surprise of the sudden kiss. "To be honest, I've wanted to tell them from the start, but I also just wanted to keep you to myself." As she said that, she crossed the distance between them and took the scythe-wielder in her arms. "But you're right. I've been more than selfish enough. Though I still want to keep all of you to myself, I guess the others need to know why."

Ruby blushed at the direct words, and couldn't help herself from giving the older girl another tender kiss. After they broke apart, another few seconds later, they rushed to catch up to the other girls.

* * *

They made enough time to actually catch up to the other two girls just before they arrived at the airport landing that held the vessel that would carry them to their mission. Professor Port was waiting for them and he boisterously, and quickly, helped them load all of their gear into the small aircraft and waved them a farewell.

The first few minutes passed in silence before Weiss let out a sigh. "So, Yang, Blake, there's something I want to tell you." The two girls, and Ruby, turned their attention to the heiress. "It's something that's been weighing on me a lot lately, and I have to start out by apologizing that I had Ruby hide it from you two as well."

Able to piece together where the silver-haired girl was leading with this, Ruby blushed and turned her eyes away from the other girls with a squeak. The idea was one thing, but now that they were going public with their relationship, it was apparently quite a different beast. Yang and Blake both turned curious eyes on their team leader for a moment, before focusing on Weiss once again.

"Ruby and I are dating." The heiress reached out and took a hold of Ruby's hand.

With a blush on her face, the younger girl faced the others again, but didn't let go of the slender hand in her own.

"Well that makes sense." Blake nodded, seemingly totally unfazed by the news.

Yang, on the other hand jumped up and took Ruby in a bear hug. "That's awesome! Congrats, sis!"

"What do you mean that makes sense?" The silver-haired girl asked with a little bit of a pout. She'd been sure that she'd been keeping everything secret.

The faunus and the brawler exchanged quick looks as Yang took her seat once more. "You were kinda being totally obvious, weren't you?" Blake's question was hardly a question.

"Yeah, and as if I wouldn't notice my little sister bouncing around like she was so happy she couldn't contain herself." Yang added.

"I really did that?" Ruby couldn't keep herself from asking.

"You sure did." Yang answered with a smirk. "And Weiss, well, she'd just watch you all the time like a hawk might watch a mouse."

"Hey!" Weiss objected instantly. "I wasn't that bad!" The heiress's eyebrows drew together. "Oh gods, I was, wasn't I?"

"Totally." Blake confirmed.

"Well… I can't say that I am happy that you already knew. I thought we were being so good at keeping it on the down low." Weiss sniffed.

"I'm just surprised that you didn't bring it up earlier, Yang." Ruby said.

"Heh, I was tempted to grab little miss rich-girl over there by the scruff of her neck and make sure that she was treating you right." Yang gave Weiss a fake glare. "But I could tell that the two of you were so happy that I didn't need to do anything like that."

"Oh, uhm, thanks?" Weiss swallowed. The idea of Yang in overprotective sister mode was one of the bigger reasons that she hadn't just come out and told the other two girls to begin with.

"Nearing the drop site. Get ready." An automated voice announced over the internal speakers.

The girls stood, Ruby and Weiss still holding hands, and prepared to exit the ship. They all gave each other grins and nods, and then the hold of the ship opened, and they jumped, excitement building as they felt the air rush past them.

* * *

Chapter four: Fin. Chapter five will bring some hints of Bumblebee and I hope to get some more witty team RWBY banter.

Check out my profile page for what I'm up to this week, as always.

As I've said before, reviews are my drug of choice, so keep 'em coming! ;)


	5. Silence

Chapter Five: Silence

* * *

And I'm back with chapter five! I wanted to work on "This is NOT Happening" or "Properly Noble" last week, but team RWBY had other ideas. I know I kinda left off at an inconvenient time (partly on purpose), and so I didn't have too many qualms leaving my other stories to the side for now and focusing on "Tsubomi". Along those lines, still not going to see any action (of either kind, tee-hee) here, but hopefully it'll be interesting nonetheless.

Disclaimers: They still apply. I'll let you know if they ever stop applying. (Don't hold your breath.)

* * *

Team RWBY made landfall and used their auras to absorb the shock of landing. Immediately, Ruby and Yang started to circle their landing zone, moving in parallel opposite directions that gradually expanded outwards. Meanwhile, Blake and Weiss set about finding a sheltered place to set up their camp for the next three days.

Ruby kept her eyes peeled, ready for combat should the need arise, Crescent Rose also at the ready. Yet the forest was quiet and calm as she moved quickly and silently in her circle. She jumped up to move from branch to branch, and only slightly disturbed the fauna. After around ten minutes, she got a message on her scroll that signaled that Blake and Weiss had found a location to set up camp. She gradually slowed her furious pace and finally stopped, perching high atop a particularly large tree. She examined the GPS system of her scroll, and saw that Yang was already heading to rejoin the other members of the team. She breathed a sigh of relief that none of the system readings were displaying any change to their auras, and then moved to regroup.

She didn't notice when a large Beowulf quickly took the space that she'd been standing in and watched her leave.

* * *

Still being as stealthy as she could be, Ruby found the cave that showed her three companions' locations, and stepped inside. The cave slopped down quite a ways, and it was odd moving in complete silence in the near-darkness, but before long she could hear Weiss's voice, and it caused her to smile.

"…. No way that you expect ME to sleep on the ground like THIS!" The heiress's voice was particularly shrill.

"Oh it's not that bad, Weiss." Blake answered in a bored tone. "You and Ruby could huddle for warmth."

"Hey!" Weiss and Yang objected in tandem.

Which is when Ruby walked in, laughing. "I'M not opposed to the idea, just saying." The young team leader winked at the silver-haired girl as she brushed past, setting her camping gear in the corner.

"I'm not sure I want to see my little sister being all cuddly when I don't have someone to cuddle myself." Yang mused. "Hey Blake…"

"No." The faunus answered quickly, not even looking up from her scroll.

"Ouch, shot down so fast." Weiss chuckled.

Yang reeled in fake agony over to her younger sister. "Ruby…" She whined. "Surely you don't mind ignoring your girlfriend for just one night to keep your sister warm, right?"

"Who said I'd be cuddling anyone tonight?" The scythe-wielder pulled out her scroll to examine the map of the surrounding area. "All I said was that I wasn't opposed to the idea. That's not what we're here for."

"Look at you, all serious for once." Blake chimed in, still with her head bowed.

"Well, someone has to be…"

"You might have a point there." The cat-girl nodded, while Weiss sniffed, and Yang pouted some more.

* * *

Not too much longer, the team had set up their gear and had made the first of their 36 bi-hourly reports back to Beacon. "So we'll be sticking to our normal partners for today, so that means we'll have Weiss and I scouting to the East today, and Yang and Blake going Southeast." Ruby explained.

"You sure you'll just be scouting for Grimms?" Yang asked with a big grin. "Or will you be looking for a nice place to have some privacy?"

Blake answered for the couple by grabbing Yang by the hand and forcibly starting to pull her out of the cave. "We'll meet up back her in two hours for the next update to Beacon."

Ruby watched her sister getting dragged off by the faunus with a slightly irritated smile on her face.

"You ready, Ruby?" Weiss gave the younger girl's hand a quick squeeze.

With a sigh, the dark-haired girl nodded. "I think I almost regret telling them. Almost."

The heiress laughed. "I know exactly what you mean."

"Weiss…" The scythe-wielder started, and then hesitated. "Nevermind. We aren't here as a couple. We'll talk about it later."

The older girl rolled her eyes. "Sure, but now I'm going to be wondering what you wanted to say."

With that they set out, heading east. The first half-hour seemed normal, but as they ranged out further, they noticed that the normal sounds of the wildlife seemed to die down, and they both started to pay even more attention to their surroundings, slowing down as they did so. They continued moving for approximately another fifteen minutes before the younger girl felt her scroll vibrate in its patch. She pulled it out and saw a message from Blake.

 **This place is too quiet, and Yang and I aren't finding any Grimms. Or really any signs of any animals that aren't older than a week or so. Be careful.**

Ruby held out her scroll to the heiress, who quickly read the message and nodded. It didn't seem right to speak in the dead air of the forest. The scythe-wielder motioned for Weiss to stay to the ground while the silver-eyed girl took to the branches, giving them more line of vision.

Still, their time was almost up, and so the girls started to head back to their de facto camp. And as they did, they noticed that where they'd used to hear wildlife before; was just as silent as the rest of the forest.

* * *

Later that day, as night was setting, the four members of team RWBY met up back at the entrance to their temporary base of operations. They were all exhausted, even Yang, and walked in silence to the back of the deep cavern.

"This isn't right." Weiss said suddenly, breaking the pensive silence. "The forest up there is far too oppressive, and it doesn't even seem like there should be any reason for it to be."

"I agree." Yang was quick to sit down against the back wall. "I almost felt like if we made any kind of noise, we'd be offending something that would take kindly to intruders."

"I've never felt this kind of presence before, and I've been in a lot of forests." Blake also sat down and closed her eyes in exhaustion.

"No signs of Grimms and no signs of wildlife except within a small swath heading north from here." Ruby pulled out her scroll and synced it with the others, getting the data that the others had gathered from their treks today. "I definitely don't like the feel of this place. But there's no way we're going back empty handed." She compiled a short list of their findings, or lack thereof, and sent it to back to Beacon.

She almost jumped out of her skin when her scroll started to vibrate violently a short and pensive amount of time later. She was shocked to see that it was Professor Ozpin calling. "Uhm, hello Professor Oz…"

"Ruby, get your team ready for extraction. We've already sent an airship to pick you up. Stay in your shelter till you get a message from Glynda that she's ready for you." And just as quickly as he'd called, Professor Ozpin hung up.

"Uh… Guys…" The young girl looked up at her squadmates. "That was Professor Ozpin. He's sending an extraction team. He didn't say why."

Weiss, who'd been standing staring back up the way they'd come, turned and blinked, while Yang immediately straightened where she'd been sitting, and Blake opened her eyes to look at Ruby.

"What?" Yang asked incredulously. "We haven't even found anything, let alone FOUND anything."

"That's probably what he's concerned about." Blake guessed, standing up to start putting her gear together.

"Well... I guess…" The heiress said dubiously.

"Man, I wanted to have some fun before we left too." The brawler shook her head and also started to get her gear packed up.

" _ **Hmm…. Young fleshlings…**_ " Said a low, growling voice suddenly, seemingly coming from the back wall of the cavern, which Yang had been leaning against. " _ **You make to leave so soon. You do not want my… Hospitality?**_ " On the face of the cavern a large set of Grimm eyes appeared.

"Holy Hell!" The blonde yelled, jumping back from the wall.

Immediately the four girls had their weapons all facing in opposite directions while Ruby stepped forward to talk to the direction of the voice, her heart pounding. "What sort of hospitality would that be, exactly?"

There was no face with the eyes, but when the voice answered, it sounded happy. " _ **The kind where we share information… You tell us more of the Aura and Dust, and we tell you of the suffering of our kind.**_ " The sound of something massive sniffing echoed through the cave. " _ **Hmm… I can smell the Qrow on two of you… You… And you…. Yes… That night, when you were so much younger… And more delectable…**_ "

"The Hell are you talking about, loser?"

" _ **Loser? No, we have never lost. We have not won, but nor have we lost… And we do intend to win our game against the Qrow… It has been a fun game… But we grow bored…**_ "

Ruby received the message from Glynda that they'd been expecting for extraction, and was torn. She wanted to stay and get more information from this thing, but her team came first. "Everyone, OUT!" She shouted.

Not needing a second prompt, the girls took their gear and bolted.

" _ **NO! COME BACK, FLESHLINGS! WE NEED YOUR BLOOD! WE NEED THE QROW!**_ "

They ran to the top of the cavern and saw a ring of fire out from their location, and behind it, an army of the strange looking Beowulf's, cowering away from the flames of Glynda Goodwitch. They were shocked to see Professor Ozpin himself along as well.

"No time to spare, get in the airship." The Professor's face was terrifyingly cold, calculating as he watched the army of Grimms beyond the wall of flame. "We'll have to finish this later." Ruby heard him say under his breath as team RWBY scrambled aboard the airship. Ozpin and Glynda were quick to follow and the airship sped off into the night.

* * *

And chapter FIVE! I'm sorry, but I do try to stick to the standard method of writing a little bit, and this would definitely be the end of a chapter, so you'll have to wait for chapter six. I, sadly, am not sure when chapter six will be coming, because I've let my other stories fall on the wayside, but... I want to at least resolve this bit... So I honestly don't know when I'll be back to "Tsubomi", but it shouldn't be TOO long... I hope...

Check my profile to see what I'm up to this upcoming week.

I know I've said it before, but I'm going to say it again, and probably even more: I love seeing reviews! So thanks for reading, and keep 'em coming everyone!


	6. Relief

Chapter Six: Relief

Back to the romance! I just cannot get "Tsubomi" out of my head lately, so I'm back with chapter six already! Here I will introduce Bumblebee, and start to gear up for something… Special for White Rose. As I've said before, this story is mostly a romance, but you haven't heard the last of the Grey's Son…

Disclaimers: Do I really need to go over this again…?

* * *

Professor Ozpin was too intimidating for even the reckless team RWBY to try to speak without first being spoken to on the short trip back to Beacon. Despite thinking that he would be questioning them intensely that night, the headmaster said nothing until the wheels of the airship touched down. When they did he actually seemed to deflate a little, closing his eyes and loosening his shoulders.

"You might be curious to know why I pulled you out so quickly tonight." The seasoned warrior started. "And you would be right to ask questions. But these questions are not those that you should even know to ask yet. I am not pleased to leave you in the dark, but for now you must tell absolutely no one of what happened today, let alone Qrow. That conversation is my duty." He opened his eyes and smiled tiredly. "Suffice to say, I know of that Grimm, and his appearance, changed though it is, is catastrophic in nature." And just as suddenly as he'd given their order to evacuate, he walked off, leaving the girls of team RWBY with Glynda Goodwitch.

She watched the professor leave with pursed lips before she turned to the tired and confused teenagers. "I believe it should not need to be restated, but with you… Well, you are to tell no one of what happened to night. Something like a Grey's Son doesn't stay quiet for long, but we need to try. I can't tell you much, but I can tell you that part of that thing's power comes from fear. So courage, girls, Ozpin will find the best way to proceed." And then she too, left, sweeping off in her heels.

Ruby stared at the floor with exhaustion for a few seconds before she looked at the others. Weiss was almost asleep on her feet, but was still holding onto Myrtenaster like she was expecting to have to fight at any moment. Blake was facing away from the rest of the group, trying to be aloof, yet she was almost doubled over with fatigue. And even Yang was showing signs of the wear of the night; her arms wrapped around her chest, holding herself tightly.

"C'mon guys, let's get some sleep. We can sort out what we want to do about this once we've gotten our heads on straight… ish." The scythe-wielder tugged once on Yang's shirt as she walked past.

* * *

Yang was more than ready to follow her little sister's advice, and she doggedly pulled her racing thoughts together long enough to follow Ruby back to their dorm room. But when she got close to the hallway, something stopped her from moving forward, and then she felt a warm body pressing against her back. It was Blake, resting her head against the blonde's back; and she was shaking.

"Yang… I'm scared." It was a simple statement, but it tore at the brawler's heart.

"Blake…" Yang turned and took the Faunus in her arms, cupping the back of the other girl's head with one hand and pulling her face to her shoulder. "Don't tell the others, but I am too."

Blake shook slightly with laughter, and Yang felt her shirt start to get wet where the dark-haired girl's eyes would be. The laughter stopped soon after, but she was still shaking. "You couldn't have heard it; that thing's voice. There were… Other voices… screaming in pain just beneath the surface… I don't want to ever meet that thing again. I don't even want to know it existed. There's something wrong with it… And it wants you… Oh gods…"

The blonde stroked the Faunus's hair softly, and she felt herself shake not with fear; but with rage. How dare this thing threaten her? Or her sister? Or make Blake cry like this? "I'm going to kick its ass." She said softly. She didn't need volume to give the words weight. "I don't care if it's so much stronger than us, we'll kill it anyway. No one gets away with pissing off me, let alone all of team RWBY. We stopped Roman, and we'll stop this bastard."

The dark-haired girl hiccupped with laughter into Yang's arms, pulling back long enough to look up into the girl's lilac eyes. On instinct the Faunus leaned forward, and pressed her lips lightly to the blonde's. Surprised by the sudden kiss, the brawler stayed still for a second, before she pulled back.

Instantly, she could see the look of hurt pass across the other girl's face at her withdrawal. It hadn't been an issue of not enjoying the contact, Yang had simply been surprised. So in order to make it up to her partner, the blonde pushed the girl up against the wall and sealed her lips to Blake's.

It was the Faunus's turn to be frozen in shock, but she returned the kiss quickly, desperately. With their judgment impaired by the brush with death and the long night, the kiss which might have been more innocent, turned fierce. The brawler pushed her partner against the wall with her hips, and her hands cupped under Blake's thighs. She held the girl up, turning around to lean against the wall to help support the lithe cat-girl's weight.

The dark-haired girl framed Yang's face with her hands, her fingers tangling with golden locks. She breathed out a sigh and turned her face up to the ceiling, guiding the brawler's lips to her throat. More than willing to make a mark on the pale skin, Yang gently bit at Blake's the collarbone.

And then the exhaustion caught up to the blonde, and she slid down the wall, her legs giving out. Startled once more into silence, the girls looked each other in the eyes before bursting out laughing. The Faunus slid off of the brawler's lap and offered her a hand, pulling her to her feet. Yang slid her hand up the dark-haired girl's arm and then snaked it down and around Blake's waist. "We need to help each other stay standing, right?" She asked with a wink.

This caused Blake to start giggling as she wrapped an arm around Yang's waist, and they made their way back to the dorm room, fighting down hysterical fatigue induced laughter the whole way.

* * *

It wasn't until Ruby and Weiss had returned to the dorm room that Ruby noticed that Blake and Yang hadn't followed them. The heiress didn't even stop; she just headed straight to her bed and sat down heavily, then sprawled gracelessly over the covers. The scythe-wielder fretted for a moment; concerned that her sister and Blake hadn't been right on their heels, but she knew that the aloof Faunus would probably want to keep to herself for a while, and the blonde would likely want to get something to eat.

She settled on sending a quick message to the two by scroll, and then headed to her own bed. But the need for comfort after what had happened early outweighed her need for sleep, and she fell to her knees besides Weiss, laying her head across her lap. She knew that her girlfriend knew exactly what she was thinking, because instead of complaining, the heiress started to stroke her fingers through Ruby's dark hair.

"I was so… Angry with that thing, you know." The older girl said after a few moments. "For frightening you. For being so eager for you and Yang…" She sighed. "And I was terrified too. I mean, have you ever heard of a Grimm doing what that thing did? I certainly haven't."

"No… But… It did sound familiar… I've had a reoccurring dream since as long as I could remember." The scythe-wielder closed her eyes even tighter. "Yang and I are alone in a forest, and suddenly we're attacked by Grimm. Uncle Qrow saves us, of course, but in this nightmare, this face follows us. And it's like uncle Qrow can't even see, and Yang is ignoring it." Ruby felt some motion and opened her eyes to see Weiss was now sitting up, her body curled defensively around the younger girl's head. She closed her eyes, feeling warm for the first time this day. "And I thought it was just a nightmare, but… Maybe this thing can follow me through my head, somehow…"

"I don't think it can, Ruby." The heiress said solidly. "If it could, there's no way that you'd be the girl I love now."

The team leader opened her silver eyes once more and looked up into Weiss's. The amount of confidence and adoration she could see in them warmed her cold heart even further. She pulled her head off of the older girl's lap and gently pushed the heiress back onto the bed. She then crawled into the bed next to her and was glad when Weiss seemed to know what she was intending, swinging her own legs up and curling her body around Ruby's.

"Do you mind if I just sleep in the same bed tonight? We don't have to do anything, but… I don't want to be alone… Even if you're in the same room, I think I'd feel alone in my bed…" Her voice was soft, quelled by her apprehension.

"I don't mind one damn bit." Weiss smiled.

In response, Ruby let out her own smile and kissed the scar over the heiress's left eye. Though they were intensely aware of the closeness of their bodies, the events of the day caught up to them, and they drifted slowly to a peaceful slumber.

* * *

They were like this when Yang and Blake returned, and at first the brawler wanted to interrupt them to smack Weiss in the face, but seeing the contented smile on her little sister's lips, she held herself back. Blake only rolled her eyes, both at the young couple in the heiress's bed, and at her partner's reaction. "I think they have the right idea." She whispered.

The blonde turned in surprise to the Faunus's seeming invitation. "Oh?"

The raven-haired girl blushed and swatted Yang on the nose softly. "I meant sleep."

"Oh, yeah. I like that idea too." The brawler let go of Blake and moved over to her own bunk. "Night, Blake."

"Night Yang." The Faunus turned away. "I love you." She added under her breath.

* * *

Chapter six! Whew, who knew that Blake would be the initiator for Bumblebee? Also, I think I covered everything I really wanted to say in my pre-story notes, so mostly I just want to say I hope you enjoyed this installment of "Tsubomi"!

You know the drill, check my profile page for updates.

And reviews. Just… Review please. I don't want to have to beg. ;)


	7. Temperature

Chapter Seven: Temperature

Chapter Seven will be more fluff; because who doesn't like seeing Ruby and Weiss being cute and cuddly? Meanwhile, Blake struggles with some… Feelings…

Disclaimers: No rights for RWBY belong to me. Just whatever ideas I use.

* * *

"Ruby, c'mon!" Weiss pouted. "You bug me all the time to practice with you, and today, when I finally decide to relent, you go and slack off on me! What gives?"

It was two days after they had arrived back from their assignment. The whole team had tried to get more information from Glynda and Ozpin, but every time they asked, they got turned away with thinly veiled lies. Eventually Ozpin had ordered them out of his office, telling them that they didn't need to know just yet.

Ruby and Weiss were now in one of the stadiums at Beacon, trying to get some extra practice with their weapons. The dark-haired girl had been lounging in bed with a serious expression on her face as often as she could since their last encounter with Ozpin. Finally the heiress had dragged the pouting team leader out of their dorm, but Ruby hadn't really been trying during their session, and now sat slumped against one of the stadium walls, having just taken a wallop from Weiss's glyphs.

"I just can't get that thing's voice out of my head." The scythe-wielder finally confessed, having been reticent on the point so far. "Every time I close my eyes it's there, just calling for mine and Yang's blood…"

Weiss sighed and sheathed Myrtenaster, taking a seat next to her girlfriend. "Look, I understand, that thing was as creepy as hell. But that's exactly why we can't let it get in our heads, alright?"

The younger girl leaned against Weiss's shoulder and took a deep breath. "Yeah, I guess you're right." She smiled up at the heiress.

"What? Just like that?" The light-haired girl raised an eyebrow. "It's fine just like that?"

"Yeah. You got a problem with that?" Ruby cocked her head.

"No, it's great…" The older girl let out an explosive breath. "It's just that you've been moping around for the last few days, I say this, and suddenly it's all better?" She shook her head.

The scythe-wielder giggled and pulled the heiress's arm close. "It's because I trust you. And because I love you."

"Ruby!" Weiss looked around furiously, blushing as she did so. "I'm fine with this sort of stuff in our dorm and at that bar we've found, but we're at school here!"

"That's not what you said before we got caught by Professor Ozpin…" The dark-haired girl said, giving a smoldering look through her eyebrows.

"Yeah, the key to that sentence being we got caught… By Professor OZPIN." The older girl gave out a little whine.

This only prompted Ruby to chuckle in her throat. "Oh c'mon Weiss! We've gotta blow off some steam somehow!"

Weiss's turquoise eyes started to show signs of panic. "Yeah, and that's what we came here to do: blow off steam by beating the crap out of each other." She started to lean away from her girlfriend.

"But that doesn't sound like as much fun right now…" The team leader continued to press close to the older girl, and eventually the heiress's attempts to lean away from Ruby caused the two of them to tumble to the side, landing Ruby on top.

"Oh, who cares anyway?" The silver-haired girl relented, grabbing the scythe-wielder's collar and dragging her lips down to met her own.

The kiss was passionate from the get go, lips crushing together. Ruby laughed into the kiss at first, letting Weiss's tongue enter her mouth. Their tongues went back and forth, each trying to give the other more pleasure.

The hard ground beneath the heiress was uncomfortable, causing her to squirm, trying to find a better position. The younger girl misinterpreted the writhing and began to grind her own body against the other girl's, causing their shirts to ride up against their stomachs. At first surprised by Ruby's boldness, the older girl then accepted the movements, finding the other's rhythm and moving to sync their grinding.

Soon the feel of bare skin on skin caused the two girls to get even more passionate, and Weiss moved one of her hands over Ruby's exposed midriff. She continued up and stopped when that hand cupped one of the younger girl's breasts. The dark-haired girl gasped in surprise, and the heiress took advantage, moving her tongue even further into the other girl's mouth.

Not to be outdone, the scythe-wielder broke away from the kiss, one hand stroking Weiss's scar, and the caressing her bare waist. She then started to slide her mouth down the older girl's jawline, lips fluttering and her tongue laying quick licks as she progressed down the heiress's throat. She nipped lightly at the silver-haired girl's collarbone, causing the other girl to draw a sharp breath. Then she went lower, and gently kissed the uppermost part of Weiss's right breast.

The older girl suddenly pushed Ruby back, sighing as she did so. "Ruby…" Her voice was so low with desire as to be barely audible. "If we don't stop now, we're not going to stop, understand?" Her eyes were wide and her breath came in heaving gasps, which the younger girl noticed with great interest.

"Huh?" The dark-haired girl was slow to grasp the concept of why they were stopping, slightly struggling against the heiress's hold on her shoulder. Then she remembered where they were and let out a sigh of her own. "Yeah… I guess we were getting a little bit out of control there, weren't we?" She smiled sheepishly.

"A little?" Weiss snorted. "Any longer and I would have swept your clothes off you so fast, even you would have been shocked at the speed." She briefly touched a teasing finger against Ruby's skirt.

"Oh?" The team leader smirked. "I would just love to see that…" She cleared her throat. "Somewhere else… I guess." The regret in her voice was audible.

"Hey, I never said we couldn't pick this up somewhere else…" The silver-haired girl gave a sly smile.

"Weiss!" Ruby swatted her girlfriend lightly. "Are you propositioning me?"

The heiress narrowed her eyes. "So what if I am?"

The scythe-wielder turned suddenly saucer-sized silver eyes on the older girl, her jaw almost hitting the floor. "Uhm… Well, I'd say… Uhm…" She found herself unable to speak. She threw her arms around Weiss and buried face into her shoulder's. "I'd say I love you… And yes…" Her voice was so soft she wasn't sure that the other girl would hear the words.

"Then as soon as I find a good time and place, I'll let you know, alright?"

Ruby nodded against the heiress's neck, not trusting her voice yet.

* * *

"Damn that Ozpin and Goodwitch, keeping secrets from us!" Yang yelled to the sky, furiously punching the empty air with fiery fists. "That thing came after my sis and I, and they won't tell us anything about it! I can tell that they know, so why the hell aren't they telling us anything!" With each word she would thrust a fist forward and draw back the opposite hand, ending with a fiery explosion that shot her back a good twenty feet.

"I'm sure they have some good reasons, Yang." Blake said in a pacifying tone, sitting on a near by bench.

They were at a rooftop park in the city of Vale, and the Faunus was pretty sure that they were alone; and if they hadn't have been before, she was sure that the brawler's anger had driven off anybody who she might have missed when they arrived.

"Gah! That's not good enough!" The blonde stomped her foot heavily, causing a small shockwave. "That… THING wants my sister! Like hell am I going to let that happen!"

"We've got to be safe here though Yang. And I'm sure that Ozpin has plans for whatever that Grimm was." The dark-haired girl held out her hands in a reassuring gesture.

"Still not good enough, Blake." The busty girl sighed, sitting down on the grass where she stood. "Look, all respect to Professor Ozpin and Glynda, they weren't THERE."

"Yeah, but it seemed like they knew what that thing was…" Blake stood up and walked over, taking a seat across from the brawler. "Glynda said it was a Grey's Son, right? A, like, there having been more than one. I'm sure there's got to be records of it somewhere in the archives." The Faunus started to trace idle designs along the ground. "Just because we haven't found anything in the past two days doesn't mean it's not there…"

"I've never heard of anything, let alone a Grimm being able to look like it was in the stone like that…" The blonde shivered, remembering two nights ago. "And those other Grimms, the ones that were starting to look like people… There's something just so wrong with all of this."

"I agree. But you know, I didn't come clean about being a Faunus at first to you guys. I'm sure that Professor Ozpin has similar reasons for not telling us what he knows…" The dark-haired girl cocked her head. "Have you tried getting a hold of your uncle?"

Yang nodded dispassionately. "Yeah. He sounded happy to hear from Ruby and I, but as soon as we started asking about that stupid thing, he started getting all evasive and shifty like. I could tell that he was scared but was trying to sound happy while pretending not to hear our questions."

"Wait. Your uncle, Qrow, who was on Professor Ozpin's team, was scared?" The Faunus asked incredulously.

"Yeah. Which freaked the crap out of Ruby and I." The brawler hugged her arms around herself. "I mean, Uncle Qrow is the strongest person I know… I have no idea what could scare him…"

Blake was astonished to see tears threatening to spill out of the blonde's eyes, and she fought the urge to reach out to the other girl and give comfort. She had acted on impulse that night two nights ago, and was confused and insecure about what she had done. Yang hadn't brought up their kiss, but had seemed to try to be more open to the dark-haired girl, but also had given her whatever space she needed when it seemed like she wanted to be alone.

The liquid started to spill out of those golden eyes, and the Faunus decided that now wasn't the time to hesitate. It might have surprised her, and it might just be because of the circumstances that they'd been through together, but for now, the dark-haired girl decided that didn't matter.

She crawled over to the brawler and gently put a hand on the other girl's shoulder, her dark eyes wide with concern, trying to impart whatever comfort she could give. She was surprised when the blonde looked up, her lips twitching like she was trying to both frown and smile at the same time.

"You idiot." Yang rubbed at the tears in her eyes. "If you don't take your hand off of me in two seconds, I'm going to kiss you. I hope you realize that."

In answer, Blake tackled the blonde, spilling the two of them onto the soft ground. Rather than wait for the other girl to make the first move, she glued her mouth to the brawler's feeling tears building in her own eyes at the connection to another person that the intimacy brought.

Yang didn't seem surprised by the dark-haired girl's actions, and instead she gently wrapped her arms around the more slender girl returning the kiss slowly, gently. The girl's kissed without heat, more a thing of comfort than passion: not that there wasn't any. Indeed, as they kissed, Blake could feel a heat building in her core that she couldn't deny, and didn't want to. She realized that if she wasn't already, she was falling in love with her partner, and could only hope that the blond felt the same way.

They kissed until their tears ran dry and then they separated at the same time, both able to tell when the kiss should draw to a close. Yang suddenly laughed, rolling her eyes at the sky. "Took you long enough, Blake. I was starting to wonder what that other night was all about. It's been driving me crazy almost as much as this whole Grimm business."

"Only almost?" The Faunus asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Uh…" The brawler froze, not daring to move. "Maybe?" She asked timidly.

"It's okay. I forgive you." She answered with another kiss.

* * *

(There's supposed to be another line above this sentence... Don't know why it's not showing up... It shows in the Doc Manager... T-T)

And chapter seven! For those of you curious about the Grey's Son, you'll get more later, trust me. And for those of you who just want more fluff, and maybe something a little bit more substantial… Just wait for chapter eight. I hope you won't be disappointed!

Per the usual, check my profile page for updates!

Reviews are pretty much one of my favorite things about writing! Well… Not really, but they still make me happy, so if you've got things you want to say that aren't just rude, snotty, or mean, pleas leave a review! I'd love to see what people think!


	8. Culmination

Chapter Eight: Culmination

Hey all! JM here back with chapter eight! You (hopefully) may have noticed that the rating has changed. If you've checked my profile page you'd know that this was coming around now, so here it is: lemons! (Weiss didn't waste ANY time taking advantage of Ruby's promise.)

And due to the amount of reviews and PMs I've been getting about the matter, I'll be dialing back the Bumblebee a bit. I honestly have no problem with that, because White Rose is what this story is mostly about anyway. (Sorry to you Bumblebee fans out there. I'm not stopping, just toning it down.)

Also, Ashe (Asheria5) and now others have complained about how often I use pronouns, so I guess I'll try to dial it back…? No promises though, just part of my process. And they exist for a reason, after all.

Disclaimers: I don't own RWBY. Also, please be responsible about reading and/or recommending this chapter. (And I guess this story from now on. This isn't the only lemon I have planned.)

* * *

"Ruby!" Weiss grabbed Ruby's hand as they were filing out of the day's last class.

"Hey, what's up?" Ruby turned back to her girlfriend, smiling as she walked backwards through the hallway. "I thought you wanted to avoid PDA."

"What?" An elegant eyebrow arched inquisitively. "Oh, right. That so doesn't even matter right now. You're free tonight, right?" The heiress seemed particularly agitated and almost out of breath.

"No. We have to study for that test in three days, remember?" It was the younger girl's turn to arch an eyebrow. "We totally made plans for this yesterday."

"Great. So you're free tonight. Good." Weiss's smile was dazzling.

"Wait. No. That's not what I said." The scythe-wielder squinted at the older girl. "Weiss, are you okay?"

"Absolutely. Let's drop our stuff off at our dorm room. There's something I want to show you down in the city." With that, the other girl started to drag a very confused Ruby through the school to their dorm room.

A relatively short amount of time later, and a still befuddled Ruby was pulled into a very expensive looking restaurant by an overly-excited Weiss. They were able to skip right past the lines and were ushered into an expensive looking dining room. The room was large enough to allow plenty of decoration and not seem cramped, but small enough to be extremely intimate. There was an extravagant meal laid out on the table already, and there was still steam rising from the soup and meat.

There were two doors: the one they entered from, and one set directly opposite of it, which entered into what appeared to be a living area. Ruby couldn't see everything in the second room, but she got the impression that it was much larger than the room that they'd just entered.

The door closed behind them and the heiress turned to Ruby and took a deep breath. "So I made some reservations for a date tonight. We'll be having dinner here, obviously, and then we can go into that room back there for… Various other forms of entertainment." For some reason, she was blushing as she spoke the last sentence.

"Wow Weiss!" The team leader exclaimed, looking at the elaborate décor of the room. "This must have been really expensive!" Then she turned back to the older girl, a look of concern plastered across her face. "I thought your father cut you off, and you didn't have this kind of money anymore."

Weiss made an inelegant sound. "He did, but I bugged my sister to loan me some money for tonight." The silver-haired girl gently started to push the younger girl towards the table and their meal. "She didn't want to, but when I told her what I was going to do with it, she relented… After I gave her some, ahem, details of what I was planning."

As she let the other girl pull out her chair and then push it back in for her, Ruby couldn't help but be curious. "And what are these plans, exactly?"

The heiress coughed and used needing to move to take her own seat across from the dark-haired girl as an excuse to hide her blushing face. "Oh, I just really wanted to show you a special time. What with that whole fiasco with our last assignment. And to relieve stress from all of the tests… And basically everything since we've arrived here, actually."

Ruby narrowed her eyes in suspicion at the way that the other girl was avoiding looking her in the eyes, but then she shrugged, distracted by the food in front of her. "Oh. My. God." She blinked when she actually started to look at the choice selections. "This looks absolutely divine!"

"Yes. You do." Weiss whispered.

"Hmm?" The team leader didn't even look up as she started to load up her plate with food.

"Oh, nothing. Just hungry, I guess."

"Good. Because it looks like we have a lot of eating to do here." Ruby was practically drooling as she started to slice up a spiced poultry on the table.

Their dinner went by quickly, despite Weiss's best efforts to be romantic and demure. Ruby was oblivious, responding to the heiress's efforts either too strongly, or not at all. The silver-haired girl was nonplussed, but reminded herself that this was one of the things that she loved about her bumbling team leader. She kept telling herself that until the meal was over.

"Whew!" The scythe-wielder slumped back into her chair, having cleaned her plate for the third time in the last half-hour. "Thanks Weiss. I can't remember the last time I ate this well!"

"And this isn't even the main course." Weiss said with narrowed eyes. She'd meant to make the look more seductive, but knew that it came across more like she was irritated. Which she was.

"I don't know what else could top this off." Ruby looked up at the ceiling, smiling. "And I couldn't eat anything else right now anyway."

"That's okay. You're the main course." Weiss blushed at the boldness of her own words. Then frowned when it seemed the context of her words went over the younger girl's head once more.

"Ah, that's nice of you to say. But it's hard to beat a nice meal like this." Ruby positively glowed with innocent sincerity.

"Dolt." The older girl rolled her eyes, standing up. "Anyway, let's take this into the next room, shall we?"

"Sure. I've been curious about what's in there anyway." The scythe-wielder stood up fast enough that her chair tipped onto its back legs. She darted into the other room, not noticing that the heiress was moving around to take her hand.

"Ruby!" Weiss cried out, finally losing her patience with the hyperactive girl. She ran into the room after the younger girl, and tackled her onto a nearby couch. "You are so stupid!"

Ruby looked genuinely hurt by the older girl's dismay, and frowned. "What did I do?"

"It's what you DIDN'T do that's the problem, you dolt." Weiss pushed against the cushions, propping herself up to look down on her girlfriend. "I've been trying to be cute and lovey-dovey with you all night, and you've just been completely clueless! It's extremely annoying."

"Oh… I'm sorry Weiss…" The younger girl's silver eyes turned remorseful, and she reached up to wrap both arms around the heiress's neck. "I can make it up to you now." She tried to pull the older girl down to kiss her, but Weiss resisted, even as a smile and a blush lit up her face.

"Let's take it over to the bed first, okay?" Weiss stood up, taking Ruby by the hand as she did.

As she rose too, everything that the heiress had been saying started to make sense to Ruby. Especially everything that she'd been saying about eating and all of the blushes. "Oh." She fell back onto the couch as her legs went weak with nerves. Oddly, her hand kept its gentle grip on the other girl's. "So, the main course… That's me… I get it now…" She could feel her face burning with heat as comprehension filled her mind.

Weiss was blushing furiously now too, but she remained standing, waiting for Ruby to start to feel more comfortable again. "Uhm, yeah… That's what I've been saying."

"But wait! What if I want you to be the main course?" Ruby felt her already warm face get even hotter.

"Then I can be yours." The heiress's voice was calm and steady, but her face was as red as the younger girl had ever seen it. "Because, Ruby, everything I am is already yours…" Her false confidence shattered, and the last sentence was barely more audible than a passing breeze.

Unable to control herself, Ruby got to her feet and wrapped the older girl in a tight embrace, hiding her burning face in her silver locks. "Weiss…" She whispered, fighting against tears of happiness.

They separated and Weiss, inspired by the moment, swept the younger girl into her arms like a princess. She then walked around the couch and to an ornate, over-sized bed that neither had been able to see from the dining room or the couch, but now occupied their attention. The heiress softly laid Ruby onto the silky covers and then slowly and gently removed her boots. Then she removed her own and crawled onto the bed kneel, straddling her girlfriend's hips She took Ruby's face between her hands.

"I love you." She whispered, and then softly kissed the dark-haired girl.

Slowly, almost carefully, Ruby returned the kiss, almost as though she was afraid that she would break the older girl if she pressed too hard. She gently placed her hands on the heiress's hips and could feel the tension in her girlfriend's body. She pulled back and looked up into deep pools of turquoise. "It's alright. I love you too." And then she pulled Weiss back into the kiss, this time with more certainty.

They moved only their lips together for a while, letting their emotions be conveyed by nothing more and nothing less than that key point of contact. Eventually, though, Weiss opened her lips further and slid her tongue into Ruby's mouth. The younger girl welcomed the deepening of the kiss and her hands started to roam; one hand naturally moving up to lightly trace the older girl's scar, and the other sliding up under the heiress's shirt to trace light patterns across her skin.

Weiss moaned quietly into the other girl's mouth and the feel of Ruby's hand on her back. She too let her hands wander, and one pulled up her girlfriend's shirt to lay a hand flat against the toned muscles of Ruby's stomach, while the other caressed a thigh.

Their passion generated heat slowly, naturally, and eventually it became too much for clothes to be tolerated. Weiss broke away from the kiss and was surprised to see a small trail of saliva lift away with her. She ignored it, straightening up to remove her shirt, fighting to get at the laces on the back. Ruby sat up as well, putting her lips against the heiress's stomach and gently kissing her through the fabric as she helped the older girl with removing her clothes.

The older girl wanted nothing more than to see Ruby in less clothing as well, and after running her hands lightly through the younger girl's hair, she too started to work on the ties that held Ruby's clothes to her body. What seemed like a few eternal seconds later, both were out of their outer layer of clothing; skirts and shirts having been casually discarded to the side of the bed. Eager to resume their kiss, Weiss pushed the team leader back down to the bed, gluing their mouths together once more.

They had never had so much bared to each other before, and it drove both of them crazy with the desire to explore every detail; to feel every inch of skin. Their hands wandered, curious and gentle. Ruby broke away from the kiss first, tilting her head back as Weiss took both of her breasts between her hands. Weiss gently kissed down Ruby's pale neck, before pulling back to admire the girl beneath her. Silver eyes followed her movement, and a blush rose to the scythe-wielder's face as she saw the way that her girlfriend was examining her.

"You're so beautiful." Weiss whispered, running her hands across the younger girl's stomach.

Ruby herself wasn't opposed to viewing the heiress from this new angle, examining the older girl's pale cream bra and panties. "No more so than you are." Ruby exhaled as Weiss's hands stopped on her hips, over her black underwear.

The silver-haired girl's eyes looked down to where her hands had ceased moving and then back up to the younger girl's wide eyes. She saw only love and lust, and knew that it was time to stop hesitating. She moved to the side and slid Ruby's panties off, while Ruby removed her own bra.

Weiss couldn't help but pause to admire the younger girl's beautiful and athletic body. Her fingers traced along Ruby's bare thigh and she exhaled in relief that such a beautiful person had chosen to love her back.

"Weiss… I…" Ruby smiled tremulously. "I want to see you too."

The older girl didn't have to think twice about what her girlfriend wanted, and she nodded quickly, taking off her own underwear and tossing them to join the pile of clothing.

Now fully naked and gloriously alone, the two girls couldn't help but take another minute to drink in the sight of each other: the absolute perfection of the moment. That moment gave way to something even more wondrous, and Weiss could no longer contain the raging storm of desire that had been rising since they'd gotten back from their mission.

She gently laid her hands on the insides of Ruby's knees, and the younger girl moved her legs to the side without any additional prompting, eager to feel Weiss's ministrations. The heiress reached out one hand to touch Ruby's exposed core, gently sliding two fingers across the slit. The younger girl sucked in a deep breath, her head tilting back and her hips rising to meet the point of contact.

Surprised by how strong of a reaction that such a light touch had generated, Weiss pulled back. But when she looked back up and saw the pleading look that her girlfriend was now directing her, she knew that the time had come. She settled into position on her knees and leaned forward, kissing her way down one of Ruby's legs. She arrived at her destination and kissed Ruby's most private of places.

"Weiss!" The younger girl exclaimed quietly, her voice high and soft.

It was intoxicating to hear her own name called out in such a manner by the one she loved, and Weiss kissed the moist folds again, this time with more force. Another squeak issued from Ruby, spurring the older girl into action. She licked the full length of Ruby's slit. She repeated the action, gauging her girlfriend's reactions to each motion.

Ruby was now trembling, and her hips had risen to meet Weiss's mouth. Confident now that she was doing the right thing, the older girl continued to move her lips and tongue. She could almost taste the younger girl's lust with each lick, and she finally moved the folds to the side with her tongue, and entered Ruby's slit.

A whimper of pleasure resonated through Ruby's entire body, and Weiss's started to move her tongue around, pressing her mouth closer to the younger girl's core. As she did, she could feel a kind of heat building, and as she continued to lick her girlfriend, she could tell that she was getting close to pushing her over the edge. She brought up one hand to caress Ruby's waist, while the other wrapped around a thigh. She pressed deeper, drawing on all of her love for the person she had once found only irritating, and Ruby cried out Weiss's name one last time in an exuberant voice before she climaxed. Her hips fell back down to the bed, and Weiss pulled away, wiping at her face, clearing away Ruby's moisture.

The heiress crawled up to lay next to Ruby, wrapping her arms around her and kissing her check softly. "I love you so much." She whispered.

Still catching her breath, covered in a thin sheen of sweat, Ruby nodded. The younger girl eventually evened out her breathing, and she rolled over to be straddling the older girl. Her lips traced burning lines down Weiss's neck, across her breasts and stomach; and when Ruby arrived at Weiss's core, she stopped, taking a moment to reposition herself to better reach Weiss's damp folds.

She hesitantly kissed the heiress's clitoris, and Weiss found herself instantly biting her own lip to keep from exclaiming in pleasure. The feel of Ruby's lips against her own core made Weiss want to cry out in joy. It was a singular sensation that she knew she would never forget; and she knew that she if she hadn't already been, she was now addicted to her lover. The singular act of that first contact banished any idea of ever being able to live without Ruby by her side.

As the younger girl continued to feel out Weiss's reactions to her attentiveness, Weiss could feel a heat building in her stomach: hotter and more furious than anything she'd ever experienced before. It threatened to consume her entire being, and she found herself more than willing to be swept away by the passion and the lust.

Ruby's tongue eventually found its way inside of Weiss, and she didn't fight the soft moan of pleasure that issued from between her lips. She didn't realize that she'd done so, but she felt one of her hands tangled in Ruby's hair, prompting her to continue; while the other tightly gripped to the bed, allowing her to keep her noises of pleasure to a more reasonable level.

An endless amount of tortuously sweet loving later, and Weiss found herself sharply calling our Ruby's name as she orgasmed. It was the younger girl's turn to crawl up beside her this time, and she collapsed at her side in a tired heap, both momentarily worn out from the experience.

"Weiss." Ruby whispered into her lover's ear, tiredly bringing up a hand to the heiress's face. "I am never going to leave you. I love you more than I can possibly say. Even if I tried to, all I'd do would frustrate myself for not being able to express myself as well as I'd like."

Smiling, Weiss closed her eyes. "You too Ruby. I don't ever want to leave your side. Even if my body isn't capable of it, I will always stand by you."

* * *

Chapter eight finished! Whew… I tried to do a lot of things in this chapter, but… I don't know how well I succeeded… Writing a tasteful sex scene is one of the hardest things I've ever tried to do, and I can't say for certain if I managed it or not, seeing as of how I'm the one who wrote it. I tried to express a lot of things here, but, well… I'll let you judge if I got it right or not.

My normal policy applies: check my profile for updates on what I'm working on for a week by week basis.


	9. Slippery

Chapter Nine: Slippery

Hello all! It's been a while, and I blame the holidays. And Netflix…

Everytime I write a new chapter, I make sure to re-read the last chapter. And I noticed that I had A LOT of typos. So I fixed the most glaringly obvious ones that shamed me that they had even existed.

Anyway, the girls' date continues! Now, they must away to the shower! (Yes, I did just say that.)

Disclaimers: RWBY will never belong to me. That doesn't mean that I won't keep giving you more White Rose.

* * *

Ruby smiled slyly as the couple recouped from the encounter that made them officially lovers. She sat up and stretched as she did so, making sure that Weiss had a good view. Of course, she wasn't opposed to looking down at the heiress's exposed body during the act.

The two girls had been exhausted from the exertions inherent to making love, but they were young. They were also two of the best young warriors to come out of Beacon, and the fatigue that comes from pushing their bodies was nothing new. Their muscles recovered quickly.

So when Ruby sensuously displayed her toned body to the pale-haired girl, they were both almost ready for round two.

Weiss returned the scythe-wielder's sultry smile and placed a hand on the other girl's waist. "Mmm… I really enjoy that look on you." The heiress rubbed her hand along Ruby's side.

"Really?" The dark-haired girl replied coyly. "I'm so glad that you do. I've been working on this outfit for a long time." She reached out and ran a hand along Weiss's taut abdomen. "I see that you got the matching set. I really appreciate that."

"Oh this?" Weiss placed her free hand lightly over her heart. "I figured you'd like it, so I just had to get it. It was really expensive though. I think you owe me for that." The last line was delivered with a particularly naughty expression.

The girl's grinned at each other for a moment, and then burst out laughing. While she was laughing, Ruby doubled over, half-laying her upper body across the heiress's. They held onto each other through the storm of mirth, and when they began to catch their breath, their faces wound up very close.

The team leader closed the distance, capturing the silver-haired girl's lips with her own. Weiss eagerly reciprocated, rolling the other girl over to gain control of the kiss. The scythe-wielder chuckled and threw her arms around her lover with abandon. The older girl smashed her mouth to Ruby's, gripping dark locks between her fingers.

However, shortly after doing so, Weiss pulled back. She withdrew one of her hands to run it through her own hair, shaking her head. "Uhm… Ruby…?"

"What?" The younger girl asked breathlessly, her silver eyes wide with arousal.

"I'm totally ready to go again, but…" The heiress bit her lip, a deep blush darkening her cheeks.

Intrigued by the new look of embarrassment plastering Weiss's face, Ruby smiled encouragingly. "What is it?"

"I've sort of had this…" The older girl swallowed heavily. "Fantasy, I guess… Where we… take a shower together."

Ruby suddenly sat upright, practically forcing the silver-haired girl to roll over onto her lap. She cradled Weiss's face between her hands and kissed the heiress square on the mouth. She kept their lips glued together for a solid second before falling back. "I'm am so onboard."

The excitable team leader took the Weiss by the hand and guided her off of the bed. When both of them were standing, the older girl was standing behind Ruby, and the dark-haired girl began to pull the heiress towards the bathroom. Weiss resisted, instead she laid her head against the younger girl's back and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend's waist.

"You don't know how much I've needed you in my life." She whispered, her voice raw with vulnerability.

Though the other girl couldn't see it, the scythe-wielder smiled as well, her own weaknesses being revealed in the way her lips curved. "I suspect that I could never understand. Just as I don't think you'll be able to see what you've meant to me." The younger girl put her hands atop her girlfriend's. "I think I'm beginning to understand that we can never fully understand any other person. But that doesn't mean that I'm going to stop trying." She turned around and tapped her forehead against Weiss's. "I am so far gone in love with you that I can barely even remember what it's like not to see your face everytime I close my eyes. Food hardly seems as good as it used to, because the taste of your lips is even more intoxicating." She slid light fingers up the heiress's arm. "When I sleep, it's to memories of the way your fingers feel against my skin and the scent of your hair. I love you, and I know you love me." Ruby's lips made another smile, while blood flushed to her cheeks. "So let's go get in that shower and get to know each other even more."

Weiss shyly nodded her agreement and they retired to the bathroom. It was a small affair; little more than a toilet, a sink with a mirror above it, and a showering section with blurred glass panes in the far corner. Since it was the heiress's idea originally, the younger girl let Weiss take the lead. The silver-haired girl walked slowly backwards towards the rectangular portion of the room, making sure to sashay her hips back and forth entrancingly.

The dark-haired girl followed without reservation. The teasing play continued until both of the girls were in the shower. When Ruby had made it into the showering cube and closed the door behind her, the heiress pulled a lever that started the water. At first, it was cold and both of them yelped with the unpleasant surprise. It quickly warmed, however, and the girl's heat rose with the liquid's temperature.

Weiss rotated the younger girl and pushed her against one of the three solid walls. Once she did, she placed her mouth over the other girl's hungrily. The scythe-wielder wasted no time in letting the older girl get her tongue into her mouth, and she began to grind against Weiss.

The movement of Ruby's hips against her own in such a manner was not something that the heiress had been prepared for. They had, of course, writhed against each other with varying intensities during their numerous make-out sessions, but never like this. Even just earlier, when they'd been on the bed, they'd never had their bare skin touching to this extent. And they'd certainly never grinded while they were both soaking wet.

She could feel her excitement building instantly. There would be no slow build-up this time. No curious motions while waiting for approval from their loved one. This would be an expression of love through lust, and nothing more.

Weiss leaned hard against Ruby's slippery body, propping her left arm against the wall underneath the younger girl's dark hair. The other she slid down from the team leader's shoulder until it was placed over Ruby's folds. At the same time, Ruby placed her hand against the older girl's entrance as well.

Their kiss broke only long enough for them to say in unison, "Together," and then each inserted two fingers.

The water that even now sluiced over their bodies was hot, almost unbearably so, but the inside of Ruby's slit seemed even hotter. It wasn't, but Weiss's fingers felt as if they were burning when they were stationary and only moving them would keep them from melting. So she held nothing back, pumping her fingers into lover with abandon, trying her hardest to bring her to climax.

At the same time, the younger girl's digits appeared to be experiencing the same sensation. Ruby was merciless as she pushed wave after wave of pleasure into the heiress. It wasn't exactly rough, but it wasn't gentle either.

It didn't take very long for the girl's to reach the edge, their kiss slowing down as they lost the ability to focus on anything but the passion of their lovemaking. In unison, they crossed that threshold, and called the other's name.

Moments later, the older girl felt like she had lost track of a couple of seconds. She found herself motionless against the scythe-wielder, their arms wrapped tightly around each other's waists. Weiss pulled back and smiled at Ruby with joy in her eyes. "Best idea ever."

The dark-haired girl's returning radiance was dazzling. "Absolutely." She looked around the shower. "Now, how about you let me wash you?" Her smile was wicked and promised that washing wouldn't be the only thing that she would do.

* * *

And chapter nine is finished! It is FAR shorter than I had in mind, but for some reason everytime I've sat down to write in the last week or two, I've only been able to get out a couple of sentences. Even when I felt like writing, nothing sat right. So I painstakingly got bits of this chapter typed up and then made sure that all of those things made sense as a whole and decided to call it acceptable. I apologize profusely and hope that it doesn't put you off too much. (It IS still White Rose lemons, after all.)

As for why I did two lemons back to back, I don't think I have to explain very much. Suffice to say that once you start… . I'm sure some/most of you understand. I'll leave it at that.

Next chapter will be some more plot things. I may also come back to this chapter and get it more in line with what I'd originally wanted, but if I do I'll let you know at the beginning of whatever chapter comes if I do decide to do that.

Same things apply. Check my profile for story updates and PLEASE leave a review, even if it's just criticism. (As long as that criticism is fair and not just made of fire.) Makes me all kinds of giggly.


	10. Enlightenment

Chapter Ten: Enlightenment

Volume Three of RWBY was SO good! But it almost made me give up on writing "Tsubomi". So much has changed in the world of Remnant that I thought that I wouldn't be able to keep writing this story any longer. But after a few talks with Ashe and others, and many painful thoughts about how to proceed, I've decided to keep going with "Tsubomi". I'm just going to HAVE to pretend that the last half of Volume Three didn't happen, as much as I liked it. So with all of that out of the way, let me continue with "Tsubomi".

Disclaimers: This story belongs to me. But only my original ideas. RWBY and the World of Remnant are not mine.

* * *

"There's absolutely nothing about this thing anywhere!" Yang shouted out, tossing the book she was perusing onto the library table. The other members of team RWBY, and a few of the students around them, shushed the irritated blonde immediately. With a huff, she sat back down, sulking.

"You know, she might be right." Weiss admitted, shutting the tome she was holding and distastefully pushing it away from her.

"There's gotta be something guys. Don't give up!" Ruby smiled encouragingly at her squad.

"Sorry Ruby, but even I'm starting to think that whatever this thing is has been covered up too well for us to find." Blake didn't look up from the volume she was reading, but there were signs of boredom across her face. "I mean, how many books have we gone through in the last month? You'd think we'd have found some kind of hint by now…"

Ruby turned a pouting face towards all of her team members. "Why am I hearing talk of defeat from team RWBY? We can do anything we want to, right?"

"Normally I'd agree with you, little sis," Yang leaned back in her chair and folded her arms. "But this isn't a normal Grimm. And apparently it's been fighting our uncle, the best fighter we've ever met, for a while. There's no way that we're going to find anything about this 'Grey's Son' without some help."

"A rather astute observation for one of your temperament," a voice suddenly said from nearby. The girls jumped in surprise and turned to face Professor Ozpin. "Forgive me if my mind is remembering things incorrectly, aging being what it is, but did I not give all of you explicit orders to not investigate this matter?"

"Oh, well, you see…" Ruby spluttered.

With a laugh, Ozpin waved away any attempts at excuses. "Oh I fully expected you to disobey these orders. I had, however, let a little bit of hope sustain me that you might listen to me."

"We obeyed that order for a little while…" Weiss whispered.

"About twelve hours." Blake added softly.

"Well, it's better than I had thought it would be." Ozpin nodded.

"We were asleep for those twelve hours." Ruby admitted with a sigh.

"Hmm… That's more like it. Anyway, your unruliness aside, I have come to ease your burning curiosity."

Team RWBY looked at their headmaster in shock. "Well, I didn't see that one coming." Blake said while she shook her head.

"Indeed. I figured that if I left you to your own devices though, that you would eventually get into trouble that I don't think you're ready for. So I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen." Ozpin pulled a chair over to their table from a nearby table and sat down on it. "Glynda shouldn't have told you the name of the thing to begin with, but that's already been done, so there's no point in trying to say that it hasn't happened. Like she said, it's a Grey's Son. As far as we are aware, there's only ever one awake at a time. Something about waking another Grey's Son puts any other active ones back to sleep. Qrow and I have killed two, and they never go down easy. Aside from being tremendously strong, they are devilishly clever and hide better than a shadow during a dark night."

He looked over his glasses at the building despair on each girl's faces. "However, they have a desire; or rather it seems to be a need, for the Auras of certain people. As far as we've been able to tell, there's no link between the people, just that something about them attracts a Grey's Son. This need for that person's Aura is the only way we've been able to trip up the Grey's Sons we've encountered. Even then, it usually takes several tries. Like I said, they are extremely smart, and have a keen sense for when a trap is being set.

"There's a strange phenomenon associated with them as well. Ordinary animals and even Grimm avoid them like the plague. But somehow they are able to control Grimm that they touch, and slowly shape them to their will. I should have realized that that's what was going on earlier, even with all the other problems this world faces." Ozpin sighed. "I wish I had never gotten you involved, but it looks like I need to. Qrow is out of my reach right now, and likely out of this Grey's Sons reach as well. You may not know this, but a portion of a person's Aura is passed down though a blood line. So I have to assume that this Grey's Son is seeking out Yang, the closest blood relative to Qrow currently on this continent."

"That's ridiculous!" Ruby, Blake, and Weiss shouted out, concern for Yang's safety showing in their voices

In contrast to their outburst, Yang merely leaned back in her chair and smiled. "Sounds good to me." She didn't say it loudly, but it was clear enough that it cut off her team member's choir of outrage.

"I figured you'd be up to the task." Ozpin smirked slightly. "Worry not, Team RWBY. I'll make sure that the risks are minimal, but the threat of the Grey's Son must be dealt with as soon as possible. Glynda and I have been preparing from the moment we retrieved you, and are almost ready to move on this thing. I will require your patience and cooperation only a little longer. I'll answer more questions later, but for now, I must be going." The headmaster then put the chair he was using back in its normal place, and strolled off. He was casual enough that it was as if he hadn't just been speaking about matters of utmost importance.

"Yang, what are you thinking?!" Blake hissed as soon the professor was out of earshot. Ruby and Weiss joined in with similar sentiments.

Yang held up her hand and shook her head. "I actually kinda saw this coming. We don't know where Qrow is, or where my mom is, so it kinda figures that I'm the closest relative of his around. And that thing was spitting mad that it couldn't trap us down in that cave."

"Well, yeah, but that doesn't mean that Ozpin should use you like this." The heiress objected.

"It's not like we know what role I'll be playing either guys." The blonde sighed. "For all we know, Ozpin and Glynda will take it down no problem. They have done this before, right?"

"How often do plans ACTUALLY work when we're around, though?" Ruby fluttered her hands for emphasis.

"Fair point, little sis. But I'm sure that we'll make it work." Yang winked at their team leader. "I've already made up my mind. We need to do this, so we're doing this, isn't that all there is to it?"

Blake exhaled heavily before nodding her agreement. "I guess when you put it that way…"

"Doesn't mean we have to be happy about it, I get it." The brawler added, understanding where the Faunus had been taking the sentiment.

"I just hate that now we know more, but we still have to sit around waiting." Weiss grumbled.

They all shared a much-needed laugh at that.

* * *

The 10th and last Son of The Grey, the strongest of his brethren, looked up from the slums of Vale at the bright light of Beacon, perched upon its cliff. A grim smile split its bloody mouth. The Qrow was nowhere to be found, but its kin was near. And if there was one thing that The Grey had taught its Sons was that the Children of Dust always protected their own. The concept was alien, but after learning from the errors of its brethren, this Son could only concede the truth. Now, with a select few of its cousins at its beck and call, it would find the kin, and find the Qrow. Then, and only then, would it be able to complete its Father's mission. It could hardly keep from chortling at the thought.

* * *

And chapter ten! Holy crap! I never even imagined it would take me almost four months to get out another chapter for "Tsubomi", but… Well, I'm sure you are all aware of how much changed in RWBY Volume 3. Anyway, moving on from that, I apologize it took me so long, and I'd like to think that now that I've finally figured out how to keep writing "Tsubomi", it won't take me as long. I make no promises though.

As always, my profile has (now some-what) weekly updates, and I love reviews. Thank you for your time and see you next chapter!


	11. Waiting

Chapter Eleven: Waiting

Hello again! After being forced to re-evaluate my plans for "Tsubomi" after Volume 3 came out, I had planned on ending it as quickly as possible, because the plot was so different. But then I remembered that the point of "Tsubomi" isn't really the plot (much as I've enjoyed thinking up things to put team RWBY through); it's the relationship between Ruby and Weiss.

That being said, I didn't have a whole lot more before I started to spin down towards the climax and end of this story. So this chapter is going to contain two scenes that aren't long enough to be a chapter by themselves, and only barely make up a chapter when I combine them. I really wanted them to be in "Tsubomi" though, so I hope you don't hate me. XP (Lemon-free. Still has kissing. Because that's pretty great.)

Disclaimers: Oh look, I still don't own RWBY. I'm SO not surprised.

* * *

Another three days had passed since Ozpin had talked to the team, and now Ruby and Weiss were back at their favorite café down in the city of Vale. At first the team had been tensed, waiting for Ozpin to summon them at any time. But after the first two days, it became obvious that they couldn't expect word to come so swiftly, and they had fallen back to their regular habits. By happy coincidence, they sat in the same stall that they had when Weiss had convinced Ruby to start taking their relationship seriously.

"Blake and Yang are so dating, Ruby. I can't believe you don't see it." Weiss rolled her eyes as she pushed the leftovers of her dinner around on a plate.

"But sis would tell me if they were!" Ruby countered; her faith and sincerity practically shining from her eyes.

The heiress shot the scythe-wielder an even look from under her lashes. "Cause you would do the same thing, right?"

"Exactly!" There was a second of pause, and then the younger girl deflated. "Oh… Right."

Weiss laughed lightly. "It's okay Ruby, don't worry about it. I'm sure that Yang hasn't even noticed that she's in a relationship. Once that catches up to her, I'm sure she'll tell you."

"Come on, Yang's smarter than that… Okay, maybe Blake would have to spell it out for her…" Ruby sank even deeper onto her bench.

"Pretty much." The older girl leaned forward and quickly kissed her girlfriend on the forehead.

"I guess it's okay. I've had other things on my mind lately, anyway." The team leader said in a throaty voice, leaning closer to her lover.

The silver-haired girl didn't seem to notice the look accompanying the particularly sultry statement and nodded. "Yeah, this Grey's Son business is really kinda just a little bit terrifying."

It was Ruby's turn to roll her eyes. "That wasn't what I was talking about."

Weiss seemed to notice how tightly pressed to her side the dark-haired girl suddenly was. "Oh… Yeah." She cleared her throat. "That would do it too."

Ruby chuckled, even while she pushed Weiss onto her side and sought the older girl's lips with her own.

* * *

The next day, Ruby found herself to be extremely bored during class. They were studying the history of the Huntsman; in particular it was a section that she'd learned back at Signal. She had been surprised when they'd brought it up, thinking that everyone else had already learned this part too. But apparently it wasn't so.

So the young girl found her eyes and attention wandering. The rest of the class seemed just about as they usually did; a mix of some students sunk in a stupor; some listening intently; and some with their attention drifting, just like her. Next to her, Weiss was, of course, one of the few who were giving the professor all of their attention.

Fighting to hide a grin, Ruby looked directly away from Weiss. Meanwhile, she slowly slid one hand along the older girl's thigh, starting at the knee. She felt the heiress shudder the moment that her hand touched her skin. When she reached halfway up her thigh, Weiss swatted away her hand and gave a fake cough.

Ruby turned back with false innocence shining brilliantly from her silver-eyes.

Weiss was not amused.

The team leader let it lie for another couple of minutes, trying to act like she was actually repentant for her act of mischief. However, once the heiress relaxed, Ruby gently tapped her fingers along the older girl's knee. Weiss's lips tightened as she fought to keep her eyes facing forward, and she started to move her leg back and forth.

Not to be rebuffed so easily; Ruby "accidently" knocked her notebook off of the table and bent over to pick it up. While she was below eyeline, she placed a heavy kiss on Weiss's calf. She shot back upright when she heard a muffled squeak from her girlfriend and gave quiet praise that they sat on the back row today.

Some of the other students had turned curious eyes their way after the heiress's high-pitched sound. Ruby cocked at Weiss, as if she was curious too. Meanwhile, the older girl's face burned with embarrassment. After a second or so, the other eyes seemed to lose interest and the only one focusing on Weiss was once again the scythe-wielder.

The silver-haired girl shoved a piece of paper at Ruby and went back to focusing on the lesson.

 _Stop. Now. Or I will punish you._

The younger girl scribbled on the note and handed it back.

 _Well… That depends on what you mean. Some of your "punishments" so far have been rather enjoyable._

She could only barely stifle her laughter when she saw the shade of red that Weiss's face turned after reading her response. The heiress folded up the paper and placed into her bag, giving Ruby a glare that plainly said that she was going to throw the note away.

After briefly tuning back into the lesson to make sure that they were still covering something she'd learned before, the team leader grabbed a new piece of paper to write notes on. Before she could start scrawling a passionate and embarrassing letter to Weiss on it, the older girl reached over and crumbled it up without looking at her directly.

Pouting, Ruby slumped back into her chair. She let her eyes wonder over her girlfriend, not even interested in pretending to pay attention to the lecture anymore. Her eyes were drawn to the way that Weiss's school shirt had come slightly un-tucked in the back. With a wicked grin, she quickly slid her hand up the heiress's shirt, resting her hand on bare skin.

The older girl stiffened into a ramrod straight position. She slowly rotated her head to give Ruby a gaze that promised death. However, her eyes glazed over slightly as she realized that the younger girl was using one finger to write on her back, scrapping softly over silky, supple skin.

Ruby trained her eyes directly on the blackboard, even though her attention was fully on what she was oh-so-lightly scratching onto Weiss's back. The heiress's breath started to come more swiftly and shallowly as she began to decipher what the mischievous girl was trying to say.

After a few minutes, Ruby stopped, just resting her hand on the other girl's back. Weiss grabbed a piece of paper and wrote so fast that even her normally elegant handwriting was difficult to read.

 _So help me, I'm so turned on right now. And now this lecture is going to last forever. I hate you… Okay, I love you, but still._

Ruby let a victorious grin onto her face. She knew that the long lesson was going to be worth the wait.

* * *

Chapter Eleven, finished! I'm sorry that I didn't deliver a full chapter here, but both of these scenes are things that I wanted to fit into "Tsubomi", but wasn't sure how, when, or where I was going to work them in. So I figured that I'd just put them together and let the chips fall where they may. As for what Ruby was telling Weiss, I'll leave that up to your, no doubt, more than sufficient imaginations.

You know the drill, my profile is a thing. And so are reviews. (I love reviews… So much so that they give me motivation to keep writing. *winkwink*)


	12. Truths

Chapter Twelve: Truths

What's this? Chapter Twelve! Wow… Two "Tsubomi" chapters in two days? This is madness! … And a sign that I've had more free time on my hands in the last couple of days than I've had in a LONG time.

That aside, I've realized that I've been writing this for a long time now, haven't I? At least I've been averaging better than one chapter a month… I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get here, but I hope everyone's enjoyed the ride so far. I'm not done yet, just wanted to let everyone know that I've REALLY been grateful for everyone's continued support. All of you are the best!

Just a heads-up, this is where it really starts to show that this is an original take on RWBY, (like the copious amounts of White Rose weren't a good indicator) and it's the reason why it took me so long to start writing "Tsubomi" again. This is going to be REALLY different from where RWBY is currently headed, but I hope you like it anyway.

Disclaimers: You understand by now, right? Good.

* * *

Midnight came bearing a heavy fog and an ominous weight. It had only been one day since Weiss had taken Ruby to task for her classroom antics, and the young team leader had mysteriously been unable to sleep. When the new day began, she was looking out of her dorm's window. A chill ran up her spine as the air suddenly thickened. Visibility became almost nonexistent. It was so dense that she couldn't make out the courtyard below, let alone any of the towers of Beacon.

She wasn't surprised when a set of Grimm eyes appeared in the fog. They were the lone thing that she could see beyond the glass. They were clear, not obstructed by the fog in the slightest. And they were looking directly at her.

It suddenly made sense why she hadn't been able to drift off into slumber. Somehow, Ruby had known that it was going to show up tonight. When it spoke, it was with a low voice, seemingly issuing from everywhere outside of the room. Just the power of it speaking reverberated through the walls, shaking the floor. There was a level of unspeakable horror to the sound of the voice which was indescribable. The familiarity of the voice was troubling, and it set her warrior's heart to trembling.

" **Hello, young one**. **We meet again. We knew we would. Your feeble walls and your light are a coward's tool. You may hide, and you may run, but in the end, we will always know where you are. You carry a similar scent to our own, after all."** Its voice was so much more powerful than it had been before. Like it was closer than it had been when it had first spoken to Team RWBY. It chuckled maliciously. **"You will summon the Qrow, or we will wash out his sins with the blood of your sister and that of all the young we can smell in this den. This den where you cower at the horror that is this world, and pretend that you understand."**

Ruby was surprised when her answer wasn't quivering with fear. "Why are you telling me this? I know you know about Ozpin. Shouldn't you be talking with him?" The eyes narrowed. She got the impression that they were pleased.

" **We will answer yours if you answer ours."**

The silver-eyed girl fought through her terror and tried to think it through. Somehow she knew that if she agreed to this thing's terms, there would be no way for her to lie. It was too old and powerful. The very nature of the universe seemed to bend around it, as if it imposed an ancient law around it merely by existing.

But she figured that she didn't know very much, and the gains outweighed the risks. That, and she was always willing to bet on a positive outcome. Things would work out if everyone tried hard enough. She nodded, trying to show more confidence than she was feeling.

The Grey's Son chuckled again. **"Very well. We do not speak with him because he is not worthy of our attention. He is powerful, yes, but his strength is false. He carries ancient secrets as if they were his, but he is nothing but a usurper. His light will be extinguished merely for pretending, regardless of when we take the Qrow. Now, it is our query. Dust: why has she abandoned our cousins?"**

Ruby blinked. She had guessed that it would be asking questions she didn't know the answers to, but this was beyond her. She had no idea what it meant by cousins, or why it seemed to think of Dust as a sentient being. Compelled to answer, the words came out of her mouth, "I don't know. Now, if you couldn't talk to Ozpin, why are you talking to me?"

The scythe-wielder was shocked when the thing burst into laughter. The force of its mirth threatened to shake the windows from their sills. **"Oh, oh, that is rich. You do not even know what you are. Ah, my cousin, you are amusing. Our father may have given his life to birth me and my brethren, and thus have an excuse to not have taught us how to guide our cousins. But you?"**

The red eyes slanted, as if it had cocked its head. **"Dust dispersed herself amongst all of our cousins. Your kind and the Faunus, the only sentient creations of Color. And the Grimm, the first creations of my Father. Among all of the Children of Color, and some few of our cousins, she lies mostly dormant. But in you… In you we can hear her singing at the top of her lungs. And you are not even aware. If you would but listen, you could tell why we sought you out. Your blood would be as sweet as the Qrow's. Alas, our game is with the Qrow, or we would win it tonight.**

" **Your lack of comprehension has already answered our remaining questions. You may ask two more before we leave. Try to make them as amusing as your second, yes?"**

Ruby was stunned by the vast amount of information she'd just been slammed with. She knew, KNEW, that this thing was telling the truth, but it so hard to accept. She could feel more pieces of history filtering through her mind, as if they were her memories, even though they were not. She was aware that she should be asking it something about what it was planning, or why it was doing what it was doing, but she couldn't.

There was only one thing that she could ask about now; she had to know more about her family. If her uncle was involved with this thing to the extent that it seemed, maybe she could finally get some answers.

"First, what is the Qrow?" Even as she said it, it felt both wrong and right to say her uncle's name like that. She had known him as a person, as someone who played with her and taught her how to fight. But now she knew that he wasn't just that. He was something more, and she needed to know how it would affect her sister.

" **Ah the Qrow… He and his sister are the cursed last thoughts of Father… He may be considered our siblings, though we curse their names. Unlink my true brethren, the two of them must go through cycles of life. Sometimes together, sometimes apart. Sometimes working together, and sometimes killing each other. Always, always they are driven by our game. But we are learning, and we will win. We will win, and we will end them. Wash away their sins with their blood, so that we may reclaim our birthright."** There was a sigh. **"Ask your last question and let us be done with it."**

"Who was my mother?" The words spilled from her before she could think, before she could consider that she might not like the answer. Still, she had to know.

There came the sound of a giant being taking a deep breath. **"Hmm… The Summer Rose. She had Dust thriving within, like yourself. Only she LISTENED. We were almost destroyed by her, outside the laws of the game. But the Qrow and the Raven made a mistake. They lost their patience, and the Summer Rose paid the price... Her agony was the most delightful thing…"** The red dimmed, as if the Grey's Son was lost in thought. Then the light returned and its gaze narrowed on Ruby. **"Without her in the way, we and our cousins will get to watch the suffering of this world inflicted only on you Children of Color. We will enjoy watching your torment, when our victory comes. We will go, for now, but if the Qrow is not here by this time tomorrow, we will come. Without mercy, we will come, and we will feast on your screams…"**

The light of its eyes faded, but the fog remained. Ruby was glued to the spot, her eyes open wide. It wasn't until someone shook her that she realized that the rest of Team RWBY had gathered around her. She blinked and looked back. Her team members were all just as shell-shocked as she was.

"Ruby…" Yang chocked out. "My mom and uncle…I'm sorry. I didn't know that they were why your mom…"

The young girl reached out and pulled her sister close. "Don't worry sis. It sounds like they didn't mean to… We'll just have to ask them when we have the chance." She pushed back her sister, resisting the urge to just hold all of them close and cower under the false security of her blankets. "Now isn't the time. We have to talk to Ozpin."

"You won't have to look far." The door to their dorm opened and in walked the professor, Glynda, and team JNPR. "Let's talk." The headmaster looked down his glasses with a big smile.

* * *

And scene! This chapter is really text heavy, and I apologize for that, but I hope the content was enough to keep you from getting bored. Next chapter will feature… Well, I shouldn't spoil it. It'll be good though… I hope. Also, don't expect me to do a double update like this again. I'm EXTREMELY suprised with myself. And tired. Really tired. XP

I wrote this chapter in one sitting, and I'm losing steam, so I'll keep the rest short and to the point. Profile, reviews, so on and so forth. Have a wonderful day!


	13. Eve

Chapter 13: Eve

JM here returning with chapter 13! No apologies for being late this time: I have an excuse. It's called moving, and it's basically consumed my last few weeks. Anyway, I'm now set up and ready to get back to writing. Chapter 13 is so short because chapter 14 is likely going to be my longest piece of writing on FanFiction yet.

Disclaimers: And thus it was that I did say again… I don't own RWBY.

* * *

"What the hell was that?" Juane asked, staring out the window. "I thought that voice was going to shake the whole school down."

"We'll get to that in a moment; hush." Glynda waved towards the blond and the rest of team JNPR. They had also opened their mouths, and she was quick to head them off.

"I see that our friend isn't going to give us time to execute the plan that we had originally intended." Ozpin leaned against the door. The headmaster, Glynda, and team JNPR had crowded into Team RWBY's dorm room. Everyone had squished together while the headmaster had shut the door. "That's not going to be a problem though, I think. We had most of our contingencies in place, and now we have to pin our hopes on team RWBY."

"What do you mean by the team?" Blake asked from the back corner of the room. "From what I heard, only Ruby and Blake are capable of fighting that thing."

"Did you honestly think that the partner tests that you took when you first joined Beacon would be something that we left up to fate?" Ozpin asked with a cryptic smile. "It may have seemed random, but it wasn't, not really. We put a powerful compulsion over that entire area for humans and Faunus. Every student was drawn to a person with similar levels of power."

"But Juane and Pyrrha…" Weiss started to say, and then looked away.

"There is more to Juane than meets the eye." Ozpin shook his head. "The amount of Aura he has alone should have told you that."

The heiress made a gracious hand gesture to the headmaster admitting his point.

"Anyway, Dust being awake in Ruby doesn't exclude Her from giving to Her other creations." The professor continued. "For most people, their semblance is complete the first time they discover it. However, some few people are chosen by Dust to receive an awakened semblance. An awakened semblance allows for awe-inspiring levels of power. The moon was shattered by just such a person."

"But no one knows how the moon was broken…" Pyrrha whispered.

"It's not common knowledge, no." Ozpin tapped his cane lightly on the ground. "And for good reason; but that's a story for another time. For now, we have to get your semblances to awaken. Normally, that's something that happens over time, but we can't wait for that. There is another way, but we can't promise you that it'll be pleasant. That being said, do any of you want to back out now?"

Silence greeted his question.

"Great. We'll get started immediately. Now, here's what we'll need to do…"

* * *

Several hours later, teams RWBY and JNPR were recuperating in a secret, underground laboratory. They had explained it all to Ruby, but most of it had all gone completely over her head. There had been an even mix of drinking weird concoctions, and fighting with Weiss. Then more explanations the she didn't get. Then Ozpin had done something to Crescent Rose, and her world had been filled with pain.

Each pair of partners had been separated to their own private rooms, due to the effects of the treatment and training that they'd undergone. The chamber that the scythe-wielder and her partner had been assigned to recover in was dark. It had pale red and white lights coming from odd machines. She had her partner reclined on odd-looking chairs that held angles that hurt her eyes. Despite the oddness of the room, it felt like she'd returned to a place she'd known her whole life.

Still, she hurt as if she'd just taken a no-holds-barred hit from Yang. There was only one part of her body that hurt so badly, and that was where her fingers were entwined with Weiss's. The heiress was resting on a similar chair to her own, which was close enough for them to barely even need to turn their wrists to hold hands. Ruby held onto the odd sense of peace that the room imparted, and the warm comfort of Weiss's hand. It was the only way to keep herself from thinking of the upcoming battle.

"Hey Ruby," The older girl's voice was weak with exhaustion.

"Yeah?" Ruby fought down a fresh surge of agony to turn her face towards her lover.

"Don't' you dare tell the others, but… I'm scared." Weiss's voice trembled on the last part of her sentence. "Not just scared, but terrified."

"You wanna know something? I am too." The heiress's eyes opened, and their gazes locked. "I've been scared ever since that first night when the Grey's Son found us." The team leader bit her lip. "The only times I've been able to forget are when you're kissing me."

The older girl managed a weak chuckle. "Me too. Which is why I've done a lot of thinking. I think the fear is good." Weiss's head rolled back to the side and she stared at the ceiling. "I think it's what makes us better warriors. I'm pretty sure that even after we beat this thing, and we will, I'm still going to have nightmares about it. But the fact that I've been afraid has made me train harder. I think we're supposed to be afraid, Ruby, so that we don't forget."

"Wow, Weiss." The older girl's head turned back to her at the younger girl's words. "Melodramatic much?"

Weiss rolled her eyes and sniffed. She wasn't offended because she knew Ruby by now, and knew that she wasn't done talking.

She was right, and the scythe-wielder continued speaking, "You might just be right. Maybe we are supposed to be afraid. But it's not the Grey's Son that really scares me…"

"Ruby, don't-", Weiss started to say.

"It's the thought of losing you." The younger girl's silver eyes were filled with tears.

At the sight of the moisture in her lover's eyes, the heiress's eyes also started to fill with liquid. "Don't you dare…" The older girl sniffed, trying to keep her dignity intact. "We're huntresses, right?" Ruby nodded. "Then we have to live with this. I'm not going to stop. This is my dream, and I'll never ask you to give it up either. We have to get used to this, Ruby. We have to, or it'll destroy us more surely than any enemy out there. We have to trust in each other. Together, we're stronger than anything else out there. But only if we listen to each other."

The team leader's lips quivered again. "I'm sorry Weiss, you're right. Even though it's hard to keep it in check, I'll do it; for you, and with you, I'd do anything."

The older girl's eyes closed and she gave a shuddering chuckle. "You'd do anything with me?"

Grateful that the other girl couldn't see the intense blush rising to her face, Ruby turned away. "Anything. But only because I'm sure you would never ask me to do anything that I truly don't want to do."

Weiss gave Ruby's hand a squeeze. "You got me there."

"Dang straight. And I'm never letting go."

* * *

This chapter ends here because I need to have what follows on chapter 14, otherwise what I've written so far feels just a little off. That being said, this should be the last chapter I post for "Tsubomi" that's under 2,500 words. I hope you'll enjoy chapter 14! ;)

All of my usual statements apply, except I'll probably only update my profile only every other week. Life and work happens, unfortunately. Also, please leave a review. I love any review that's not toxic!


	14. Death's Symphony

Chapter 14: Death's Symphony

Not going to say a whole lot up here, just… This chapter will feature some actual combat, and if any chapter of mine is one I'd want reviewed, it'd be this one. So please, R&R. m(-.-)m

Disclaimers: I'm pretty sure I've covered this… *looks at last 13 disclaimers* Yup, I have.

* * *

Hours later, Ruby and Weiss stood together in one of the courtyards that was part of a side entrance to Beacon. They were relaxed, but a space of several meters separated them. They knew what was coming, and needed to make sure that when they employed their weapons, they would be far enough away to ensure that neither would be in the way of the other. Tonight they would either end the Grey's Son, or they would die trying.

"Hey Ruby," Weiss called, her voice cutting through the still, clear night.

"Yeah, Weiss?" Ruby checked a timer on her scroll absently. 9 seconds remained.

"If you die, I'm totally going to kick your ass. And if you live, I'm going to marry you." The heiress delivered the line without any particular emphasis, but it shook the dark-haired girl to the core.

"Wha-" Ruby's jaw might have hit the ground, but she didn't have time to check. The instant she tried to respond, a blinding light split the darkened sky. It was followed shortly by an earth-shaking noise that was so deep that it was something that one felt in then bones, rather than heard. A few drops of rain started to fall, accompanying the most impressive bolt of lightning that Ruby had ever seen.

"You were right, professor," It was Juane's voice that fed in through their earpieces. He sounded oddly calm, detached. More like the leader that everyone always knew that he could be. "My barrier's holding steady at the main gate. Pyrrha tells me there's almost 1000 Grimm out there and counting. I'll let you know if we need help here."

Right on the heels of his announcement came Ren's quiet voice. "Same here, but with less Grimm. Nora's... Enjoying herself."

"I'm performing as expected, professor." Glynda chimed in. "All other entrances but the two assigned to team RWBY are contained."

They could hear some distant sounds of combat over the radio channels, and though they were dying to join in the battle, they knew their roles. The entire school had risen to the challenge, and at key sections, the professors and team JNPR were assisting the efforts to fight off the Grimm. In order to channel the assault more effectively, Ren and Juane had been assigned to create barriers that would only allow Grimm to entire designated kill zones. The light and noise that had split the sky earlier had been Nora conjuring a vicious thunderstorm that was keeping any flying Grimm from coming at them from above.

Meanwhile, team RWBY had been split to two different entrances that were deemed the only places that the Grey's Son was likely to use. Ruby and Weiss to one, and Blake and Yang to the other. All of team RWBY had been given information on how to kill the Grey's Son. It hadn't been something that they'd expected, but they were willing to give it a try.

A few seconds later, Yang's voice sliced through the chatter. "It's a bust here. The big, ugly one must be going to where Ruby is. Blake and I are just getting Grimm here. Professor, please come relief us so that we can help my sister."

At the words, Weiss and Ruby exchanged glances and drew their weapons. Apprehension settled in as they continued to wait.

"Copy, Yang. ETA: 7 minutes." Ozpin's answered steadily.

"Better make that 3, or Imma kick your ass." Yang growled over the headset.

"I could say 15, if you'd prefer." Ozpin replied coolly.

There was a moment of silence. "Fine, see you when you get here. Hang in, little sis. Let us know when it shows."

"Will do." Ruby grinned.

The scythe-wielder was going to ask her girlfriend about her early statement when Ruby's attention was drawn back to the gate. One of the glyphs that the older girl had placed on the gate started to glow. Only, it wasn't the same color as when it had originally been placed. Instead of being a dull blue, it was now a sickly greenish-black, and pieces of it seemed to splinter from the glyph. The shards started to fall to the ground before reversing towards the sky and then fading out of view.

"Is it supposed to be doing that?" Her nervousness showed, and Ruby's voice cracked a little.

"Uhm, definitely not," Weiss swallowed and licked her lips. "I'll see if I can activate it early and cause some damage." The glyph had originally been supposed to send a wave of absolute zero back at anything that tried to get within 10 meters of the gate. The heiress held out here hand and there was the sound of an anemic explosion from beyond the gate. Shortly after was a shrill shriek of a dying Grimm, followed by a deeper chuckle.

Ruby recognized the voice that chuckled. The Grey's Son had come to them. She knew even when they'd been assigned their tasks that some how it would be this gate that it would come to. The exchanged between her and the ancient monster the previous night had given her some kind of connection to the elder beast, and she had known that it would show at this area.

"It's here." She whispered into her headset.

Each of the glyphs in the layers upon layers of Weiss's glyphs started to shine with the same nauseous green-black. The silver-haired girl closed her eyes and made sound of effort, and each of those glyphs started to change back into their original form. This continued for a few seconds before all of them exploded into a shower of silver sparks. They did not make any noise, but they could clearly see through the falling glyph-bits that the gate had been disintegrated as well.

And that's when they saw it: the Grey's Son. It wasn't the biggest Grimm she had ever seen; even though it was very large. However, nothing she'd ever seen before had given the same scale of undisputed power. Its head was an elongated snout, roughly like a cross between a Beowulf and a King Taijitu. It was furred and scaled in much the same manner, being a mixture between canine and lizard, and giving off the impression that it was related to the dragons of legend.

The Grimm's mask that would identify a creature of Grimm was missing entirely from its head. Instead, that key identifier was scattered in symmetrical patterns all across its body, like armor. The Grimm masks even overlapped in some places, giving it the impression it was wearing a form of scale-mail. Each mask had its own set of eyes, and when it moved, it gave the impression that it had somehow absorbed those other Grimm into its own body.

The Grey's Son itself had seven eyes; three sets of two on each side of its muzzle, and one in the middle of its brow. The eyes were not red, but rather a sinisterly swirling amalgamation of dark colors that changed second to second. Shadow darker than the blackest-night seemed to drip from its being. Where the shadows met, images seemed to form just on the edge of perception: images that were deeply disturbing, even though they couldn't be clearly seen.

The Grey's Son's eyes met with Ruby's and a smile twisted its maw. Confidently, the ancient terror sat back on its haunches and a rumbling noise seemed to emanate from its chest. This was when Ruby noticed something. Gathered around its feet were the corpses of more than two dozen Beowulfs, and dozens more were rushing into the suddenly open courtyard.

"I love you," the two girls called to each other before they readied their weapons, preparing to battle the coming enemy. Ruby started to blast away enemies with Crescent Rose, firing as quickly as she could. Weiss, on the other hand, had already prepared for a scenario like that. The courtyard was fairly littered with glyphs of various natures that she had set up before hand. Each time a Grimm set foot on one of these glyphs, they specific reaction was diverse and almost unique to each one. The end result, however, was almost without exception; dead monsters.

There were too many Grimm, though, and soon the eager Beowulfs were running over the corpses of their fallen brethren. Though Weiss was laying more across their carcasses, there were too many. Eventually, a few made it to melee range of the girls.

And this was were Ruby shined.

The young team leader brought Crescent Rose to bear with devastating prejudice. The first two Beowulf cleared the deadly courtyard at the same time, and both leaped towards Weiss, knowing that it was her that was laying the glyph-mines. They didn't have time to blink before Ruby was suddenly on the other side of Weiss, and their bodies were falling into four pieces of dead Grimm.

The girl was wearing her hood up, and her scythe shown under the light of the lightning storm raging above. She was the image of Death, and she was coming for anything that threatened HER academy: her fellow students: her team. And her lover.

Speed had been her semblance before, and though she'd gained some new tricks with the awakening of her semblance, speed was what she was familiar with. She almost literally flew through the courtyard, dashing so quickly through the carnage that she appeared to be a streak of red and black.

At one moment, a Grimm was being shattered to pieces by a glyph that Weiss had lain. Ruby was there, spinning Crescent Rose through the body of a Grimm very near the one that had suffered the glyph. The next instant, she was on the other side of the courtyard, unsheathing her scythe from the head of another victim. Then the instrument of Death that she carried was shearing through the bodies of five Grimm that had gotten close to the pale specter of Weiss.

For her part, the heiress didn't even blink when the Grimm had made it so close to her. She trusted in Ruby, and knew that it was her part of the battle to keep the glyphs going. She was conducting an orchestra, and Myrtenaster was her conductor's rod. Each glyph she made produced a clear note that signaled the death toll for another one of the invading monsters. Together, the glyphs made a haunting symphony that beckoned the creatures of darkness to their graves.

Building towards the crescendo, some of her glyphs formed a harmonious melody, and when they reached perfect pitch, they formed angelic warriors formed of ice. These seraphs of war given frozen bodies joined in the battle waged by the reaper known as Ruby, and soon the courtyard was covered with the remains of their enemies.

When the last of the Beowulfs fell to the ground, the cold angels faded away, and Ruby stopped to stand in the same spot she had before, Crescent Rose dripping blood. "Hey sis, any time would be good," she said through the radio.

"Dammit all," Came the unexpected voice of Blake over her headset. "Glynda got wounded, and Ozpin has to cover for her. We've got a couple of Goliaths, and more than a few Ursas. We're stuck here."

The Grey's Son had not moved during the battle, but after Blake ceased communication, they could hear a smoldering laugh cross the distance between them. Faster even then Ruby could follow, all of the masks of the Grimm that had died flowed together and joined the Grey's Son. With a shudder, it grew to reach an even larger size, now towering over the wall that the gate had been a part of. It must have absorbed the masks of the Grimm that had been a part of the other battles, as it had grown much more than the Beowulfs they'd slain could account for.

" **An excellent show for our entertainment,"** It rumbled. **"But now it is our turn…"** It stepped forward and effortlessly crushed through the section of wall above where the gate had been.

"Weiss, this wasn't in the plan!" Ruby yelled, dodging back from the bed-sized rubble that it had nonchalantly kicked up.

"No, Ruby, it wasn't!" The older girl called back from behind a frozen angelic warrior that had materialized and was shielding her. "When does anything EVER go according to plan?"

"I'll get back to you on that." The team leader promised, firing a few rounds up at the giant Grey's Son.

It didn't even seem to notice the attacks, and had smashed its left leg through the wall. Carried with the paw came tons of rubble, straight towards the heiress.

"Weiss!" Ruby cried out in a panic, dashing to grab her girlfriend and then back to safety.

She stumbled when she landed on the opposite part of the wall to the Grey's Son, almost dropping Weiss. Her legs gave out, and she saw that her right calf was laid open to the bone, and most of her foot was missing.

"Ruby!" The older girl panicked, laying her hands on her girlfriend's leg.

"Well… That sucks." The scythe-wielder murmured. She couldn't feel the pain, not yet. Her body was still in shock.

A glyph appeared on both sides of Ruby's leg, and the bleeding instantly stopped. She knew that Weiss might have been able to completely heal the wound, if given long enough. But the Grey's Son was not complacent to have merely wounded the younger girl.

" **I told you to bring the Qrow, little one."** Its voice was almost sorrowful. **"Death expresses Himself so beautifully through you. A shame that He couldn't stay from reaping your souls for a while longer."** The Grey's Son opened it's mouth and pool of shadows coalesced into a ball in mid-air before it. The ball then extended misty tendrils of darkness towards the girls.

Weiss lifted Myrtenaster and glyphs appeared before each of the tendrils. Though they slowed them, they each went the same way as the ones on the gate had; shattering into stars of light.

Ruby watched their death coming towards them, and lamented that this was where it would end. Just when she was about to shout defiance up at the monster who was trying to steal their lives, a fiery golden ball of light streaked through the sky. The tendrils burned back to the shadows and the ball exploded, sending the Grey's Son staggering back a step. Yang landed in the rubble strewn courtyard, still encased in flame. Blake seemed to materialize next to them shortly after, appearing as if from thin-air.

"Take that, shit-face!" Yang called out her challenge.

While the Grey's Son was distracted, Weiss turned her attention back to Ruby's wound. "I thought you guys were too busy to make it."

"We were, but then all of the Grimms masks' disappeared, and when they did, the Grimm were soon to vanish too. That's when we decided to book it here." Blake explained, firing Gambol Shroud at the Grey's Son.

"I think you just… Wanted… To make a showy… Entrance." Ruby tried to keep her words coherent, but while light was filling her vision. Maybe something had broken inside of her, but she could hardly feel her body; not even Weiss's hands. "Weiss… Something's…" And then everything was white.

* * *

Ruby drifted for an indeterminate amount of time. Or rather, through an unrecognizable amount of space, because time didn't exist here. She wasn't sure how she knew that, but she did. After some vague condition was met, she saw a figure in the distance. She willed herself towards it, and was surprised to see someone who looked remarkably like her mother before her.

"Mother?" She couldn't help but ask. She knew it wasn't Summer Rose, but couldn't stop the question from escaping her throat.

"No, child," the figure responded. "My name… Is Dust."

* * *

And scene! I know, giant cliffhanger, but hey, if this were a book, the chapter would end here, so… Sorry? Moving on, I'm really looking forward to getting some feedback for this chapter, so please leave a review!


	15. Finale

Chapter 15: Finale

Hmm… Think the chapter title gives away too much…? Ah, whatever. The second part of this update should do that if this chapter title doesn't.

Notice: Small thing that I forgot to address last chapter. All of the other students, including team JNPR, had been ordered by Ozpin not to engage the Grey's Son under any circumstances. Eventually I'll go back and add that, but for now…

Disclaimers: Just because I've just about finished this story doesn't mean that I own RWBY.

* * *

"Dust?" Ruby hesitated. "Like… The GODDESS Dust?"

The radiant figure before her raised an eyebrow. "Unless I've been having some kind of identity crisis these few millennium, yes." She was clothed in an iridescent dress that covered one shoulder and fit closely to her form. She wasn't well-endowed, per se, but there was a certain kind of perfection to her curvature that defied explanation. Her eyes were solid orbs of gold, and they watched her visitor with amusement.

"Wow!" The young girl started to panic. "Oh, am I supposed to curtsey or something here?"

Dust moved the shoulder without the dress strap in an elegant shrug. "You may if you so desire, but what kind of mother stands on ceremony with their children?"

"I'm sure Weiss's mother would…" Ruby answered and then froze for a moment. "Weiss! Yang and Blake! Beacon, what's going on?" She looked around in a panic. "I need to help my friends!"

Dust delicately raised a hand and gave a gentle smile. "Calm yourself, you impatient child. We must talk now, or I fear we'll never have the chance again."

* * *

"RUBY!" Weiss screamed at the comatose girl in her lap. She shook the younger girl as hard as she could, even while she laid a rune around them to try and heal her girlfriend's broken body. Tears streamed down her face at the lack of response. Ruby was getting colder even as the heiress held her tight.

"Weiss! Yang and I could use your help here!" Blake called out from a dozen places around the courtyard. She and a group of clones fought off tendrils of shadow given physical form, and were being hard-pressed.

Meanwhile, Yang was going toe-to-toe with the giant Grey's Son. She was tumbling in between its limbs and punching with all her might. Her hair had turned as red as her eyes, and everything she passed shimmered with heat. The ancient creature was roaring in frustration, but it couldn't seem to connect with any of its attacks. Its own size was getting in the way as the blonde-turned-redhead darted around its legs.

Weiss was catatonic, and didn't reply to any of the Faunus's prompts. She rocked slowly over the scythe-wielder, not even aware of the battle still raging around her. "You dolt," she whispered. "You weren't supposed to go down here. Remember how we talked about how we were afraid, but we weren't going to let that get in our way? You need to stop sleeping, or I'm really going to kick your ass, alright?" A stray tear fell onto Ruby's face. The liquid transformed into another glyph, and filled the team leader's body with warmth, but it did not make her chest rise again.

"Dammit, Yang!" Blake yelled over the sounds of combat. "Weiss has lost it." One of her clones emitted a sudden pulse of light, and the wave of radiance destroyed some of the smaller shadow tendrils.

"I'm not far away from it myself, you know!" Yang shouted back, her voice filled with sorrow. She launched herself with Ember Celica and delivered a particularly vicious blow.

The Grey's Son had tenuous footing with that leg, and the force caused it to fall to the side. Its enormous body crashed through a few rooms and shook the entire area. It roared out in outrage. **"A good attack, but how long can you keep it up?"**

Its body began to shake, and some of the masks covering its hide started to grin.

Weiss's voice started to echo through the white landscape that Ruby and Dust floated through. The scythe-wielder wasn't able to make out the words, but she could understand that her love was in anguish. "What could be so important that you're keeping me from THAT?"

* * *

"Hmm, I wonder," Dust's lips twisted wryly. "It couldn't possibly have anything to do with the fact that you really did die."

Ruby was left speechless. She tried to swallow, but she wasn't capable of the action. It was at this point that she noticed that she didn't actually have a body with which to perform the act. She was an orb of light that was barely distinguishable from the surrounding non-terrain. "Oh… That's… Really disappointing."

"Fret not, little one," the shining figure smiled encouragingly. "I am speaking with Death on your behalf, and am hopeful that we'll be able to get you back into the fight."

"You'd do that for me?" The young girl was incredulous.

"But of course, you are the only true daughter of mine that…" The goddess pursed her lips. "I was going to say that still survives, but that has yet to be seen."

"Uhm… What's that supposed to mean?" Ruby wanted to blink, but wasn't able to.

"Simple, the only thing that still has even a single trace of my blood is in your still body." Dust folded her arms. "You are my last bond with the world, and if you die before passing on my legacy, I will no longer be able to respond to your siblings needs. In short, if Death doesn't allow you to return, in about an hour, all people will lose their semblances, their aura, and become easy prey for my brother's twisted creations."

"Oh… Is that all?" A sense of dread began to fill her. "No pressure or anything…"

* * *

Yang was sent flying across the remains of the courtyard and crashed into a toppled pillar, shattering it further. With a scream of rage, the berserk girl shot Ember Celica into the ground, propelling her into the air. Blood was dripping from numerous wounds on her body, but she didn't notice them. She expanded the flame surrounding her into the shape of a fist larger than a house, and then shot down towards the Grey's Son.

With a chuckle, the monstrosity motioned its newest method of attack to intercept her. A blade of darkness with the mask of a grinning Grimm mask as the centerpiece sliced through the sky and blocked the brawler's attack. There was an ear-splitting shriek of tortured metal where the golden flame met the black sword. The blade shattered, but the girl was repelled, once again landing on the ground with a violent impact.

She stood once again, but the light around her was starting to flicker. She wiped away some blood that had run into her eye. She looked around her and saw one of Blake's clones go down, hacked into two pieces by one of the nine, now down to six, swords.

"Ruby…" Weiss's whimper somehow crossed the space to where Yang stood, and the flame stopped flickering. This wasn't the time to catch her breathe, Yang reminded herself. It was the time to kick this thing's ass.

For her part, the Faunus was long past the point of exhaustion. She had destroyed one of the swords with the combined light waves of several of her clones, but now she was down to eight. She was too tired to try to make more, but though the shadow tentacles had stopped, this new form of attack was far more difficult to fight off. She was sure that if they had Ruby and Weiss fighting too it wouldn't be a problem, but…

* * *

"Indeed, no pressure at all." Dust rolled her golden eyes. "There's one more thing, before Death says yes, which I'm pretty sure he will. You see, he's rather taken with me." She smiled indulgently, her eyes taking on a faraway look. "Anyway, now that you've seen me, you'll be able to hear my song when you get back to your body. I'll give you one of my most precious gifts, the one that I gave your mother."

"Ohh, yes please!" Ruby felt like smiling.

"You may have noticed how my eyes are gold, and your eyes are silver?" Dust arched an eyebrow.

Ruby tried to nod enthusiastically and then stopped. Chagrined, she said "Yes."

"That's for a reason. I will never fully give the power of Gold again, not after the moon fiasco, but I will let you have Silver." Dust sighed. "Silver might not be enough though… Not anymore…" She closed her eyes.

A notion suddenly occurred to the young girl and she felt a great worry press on her. "Uhm… Dust...?"

"Hmm?" The goddess asked without opening her eyes.

"If I'm supposed to pass on our blood with a child, that's going to be a problem…" If she had cheeks, they would be burning.

This caused Dust to cock her head and look at Ruby. "What do you mean?"

"Well… I'm in love with another woman, and…" The scythe-wielder practically chocked on the next part of her sentence.

Dust seemed not to understand for a moment before she burst out laughing. "Oh, that. Not to worry. It's not like this hasn't happened before. When the time is right, I'll just take a little bit of your partner's genes, combine them with yours, and then give it right back to you. No intercourse required, though where's the fun in that?"

"Oh… Good… Because that question wasn't awkward enough…" Ruby felt very much like trying to hide in a corner.

Dust giggled with mirth, shutting her eyes again. "Now, like I was saying, I'm not sure that Silver by itself will be enough to win. Let me see…" After a long moment, her eyes shot open again with something akin to panic. "No, not yet!" She cried, not focusing on the ball of light that was Ruby. "She's not ready yet!"

Ruby felt something pulling at her soul and looked around in shock. "Dust, what's going on?"

"Death is sending you back, but he's rather angry with me." The radiant goddess was quickly fading into the distance. "Just remember, you're not alone! Help is coming soon!"

* * *

With that, darkness consumed Ruby's world once again.

Blake and her last clone caught Yang as she fell from the sky once again. There was no fear of getting burned, because the flame had died out. The busty girl's hair had turned back to gold, and one of her eyes was caked shut with dried blood. At the impact of Yang falling into their arms, the last of the Faunus's clones winked out of existence.

Holding her partner tight, Blake realized that they had ended up falling next to Weiss, who was still cradling Ruby's corpse. Blake tried to raise Gambol Shroud in futile resistance once more, but her strength was gone. "Damn," she muttered under her breath.

The Grey's Son towered over the four girls, the last of the two swords spinning around it. **"You fought much better than I was expecting,"** it chortled. **"I might not even have the strength left to fight the Qrow and the Raven if they were to show up. Alas, you die before even seeing my final glory. Worry not though. Your corpses and those of your friends will prove a fine meal."**

It raised a barn-sized leg to crush them into oblivion, but the claw never made it down to team RWBY.

"I'm not going to give you the satisfaction." Blake was startled to hear Weiss say with a hoarse voice. An enormous glyph of a fashion that the Faunus had never seen before shone between the Grey's Son's foot and them.

The heiress respectfully laid Ruby to the said in a peaceful pose. Then she stood and raised Myrtenaster in defiance of the ancient monster before them. "You killed my girlfriend, you bastard, and for that, you die." She reversed her hold on her rapier and plunged its blade deep into the ground.

The earth began to rumble, and hundreds, thousands of glyphs sprang into being around them. Issuing forth from every single one of them were beams of light. Some were formed of the deepest cold, others of purest fire. With a startled shriek of surprise and pain, the Grey's Son was driven back, raising the two blades of darkness before it. They combined into a shield, which bore the onslaught of Weiss's rage.

But neither the shield nor Weiss could last forever. The silver-haired maiden slumped to her knees, even as fury burned in her eyes. A crack formed in the shield, then another. Eventually, the shield shattered into a million pieces. At the same time, Weiss collapsed to her side, breathing shallowly.

Even the elder evil was showing fatigue now. It had been forced onto its back during the heiress's assault, and it laboriously pulled itself to its feet. The Grey's Son blinked its seven eyes down at the girls and made a small bow. **"I respect your power, creatures of Dust. A part of me wishes to stand down, in response to your spirit. Alas, the rules set forth by my Father do not allow it. At least your deaths will be swift."**

* * *

"… **At least your deaths will be swift."**

These were the first words that Ruby heard when she opened her eyes. She could feel a crushing agony arching through her entire body, but knew that now was not the time to indulge it. She could see the Grey's Son coming in once more for the kill, and a surge of outrage pulsed through her.

"Not yet, you jerk!" She called as she rose to her feet. She held out her hand and Crescent Rose materialized in a flash of light. Her beloved Rose was clad in silver, and she realized that all of her wounds were also covered in silver.

"Ruby?!" She heard her team call out in wonder. She wanted to give them a quirky grin and say something smart-ass to them, but knew she couldn't spare them any attention.

The Grey's Son breathed out through its nostrils, shaking its body like a dog coming out of water. **"I see that you finally listened to Dust. Now it is a fair fight."** Five pairs of wings erupted from its back at the end of the sentence. It reared back and then shot into the sky, roaring its challenge to the night sky.

Without pausing to think about how she was doing it, Ruby also took to the air. Portals of shadow opened around her, almost impossible to see in the darkness. Images of the worst nightmares shot out of them, intent on ripping the new life from her body. But liquid disks of spinning silver flashed into existence, slicing through the terrors.

Ruby raised Crescent Rose and fired a blast of silver light at the Grey's Son. Surprisingly, the dragon twisted around the bolt, twisting back on itself like it didn't have a single bone in its body. It opened its mouth and breathed. Spewing from the open maw came a slew of dark colors that crackled with power.

Ruby encased herself in an orb of silver and shot through the attack. She emerged from the other side, and used the orb to lengthen the blade of Crescent Rose. When she flew by the monster, she slashed through the cheek of the nemesis of light.

It screeched in agony as the silver blade tore through the shadow-stuff that composed its being. It bled red, but not the bright crimson that one was familiar with. Its blood wriggled even as it plummeted, a sickly maroon color.

With a grin, the heir of Dust re-engaged the monster, certain now of victory. The battle raged on for a while longer, Ruby chipping away at the dragon. She always danced one step ahead of its attacks.

It was a simple mistake that cost her victory. She hadn't accounted for effects of the environment. After she had sent the creature careening back to earth, just outside of Beacon, a stray tree shot up past her. Though she was able to dodge it, a branch caught on her robe. The garment went off with the try, but not before it had chocked the breath from her body.

She was barely able to land in the courtyard. She was trying to find a place to hide and regroup, when another surprise was waiting for her. A stray Beowulf, possibly one that had come in during the last few hours since the Grey's Son had enlarged itself. It was able to lay a long slice down her back before she could kill it. With that wound, the battle caught up to her, and fell to her knees.

It was then that she noticed that the silver that had covered her foot and other wounds was gone, leaving her skin whole. But not whole enough.

Weiss staggered to her side. She conjured a healing glyph, but it was much smaller than any of her others, and they knew that it wouldn't be enough. Blake and Yang joined them, facing the Grey's Son together for the first time.

Its wings drooping at its side, the enormous monster dragged itself to just outside the school. Silence descended over the area as they stared each other down. Slowly, the Grey's Son opened its maw, which had become disconnected during the battle. It breathed again, and the sickly colors rushed towards them.

Only the breath weapon never made it to them. At that moment, dawn broke and the sun's first rays appeared on the horizon. A giant gold and white shield appeared before them, defending them from the assault. It bore a crest that was familiar, and they heard a voice throbbing with power pound through the new morning air. "No more."

The voice was proud and strong. No trace of hesitation could be found in its resonating tones. It was Juane, who walked on thin air towards the dragon. Golden armor encased him from shoulder to toe. His sword and shield were missing, but his left hand was extended, as if the shield was between them and the Grey's Son. This was confirmed when he dropped his hand and the barrier disappeared. "I'm tired of watching you hurt my friends. This ends now."

He raised his right hand now, and in the sky far above, a light twinkled. That light quickly approached until a pillar of golden sunlight hammered into the wounded dragon. It was smashed into the ground, and cried a silent scream of pain.

In Ruby's head, she briefly heard the voice of Dust, " _I said I would never GIVE Gold away. I never said I wouldn't lend it from time to time. Unfortunately, Gold has to go to my father's bloodline, so we'll see how this bumbling fool handles it. At least he's got promise._ "

Ruby smiled tiredly and leaned against Weiss as the stream of sun continued to crush the Grey's Son beneath it. Incredibly, it was somehow able to stand against the power and it slowly, painstakingly crawled towards team RWBY.

It wasn't able to make it all the way, and the head collapsed some hundred feet in front of them. **"So… This… Is… How… This match… Ends."** The six eyes on the side closed, while the one in the middle seemed to leak a single tear. The tear rolled into a black rock which bounced and rolled before stopping within arms reach. Meanwhile, the giant body and all of the masks disintegrated with a sigh.

Juane started to fall through the air as the column of light ceased and the golden armor also started to fade. He fell through the air in spurts and ended up landing on his behind, at the edge of the shattered courtyard. His normal shield and sword appeared and fell into his lap, causing him to wince. Still, he stood and made his way over to team RWBY. "Uhm, hi guys."

"Hi Juane," they answered him tiredly. Those who didn't know where he got the power to finish off the Grey's Son were too exhausted to ask.

"Hmm…" Suddenly a voice issued from the black rock, unmistakably that of the Grey's Son. Only not as threatening. And really high-pitched. "This is awkward. None of you are the Qrow or Raven, so you can't kill me… And none of you are able to touch me. Only the pretender could, and he's busy trying to save that witch of his…" An eye opened on the rock and a tail sprouted as well.

Juane jumped into the air the moment the thing had spoken, and quickly readied his sword. Only when he tried to attack, a look of terror spread over his face. He started to shake, and he dropped his sword.

"What is it Juane?" Yang asked, struggling to her feet.

"I… Can't." He whispered. "I'm too… Scared." He bit off the last words bitterly.

"This is my final defense." The Grey's Son started to wriggle through the debris. "Only those that are free of fear can touch or kill the real me. So… I'll just be going."

Helplessly, the five students of Beacon watched the fish-bowl sized eye and tail slowly make its way through the courtyard. Each of team RWBY also tried to raise their hands against it, but when they did, their entire being was filled with terror and they couldn't bring themselves to finish it off.

A lone crow suddenly flew out of one of the corridors and landed in between the Grey's Son and it cocked its head at the little monstrosity. Which oddly enough began to back scramble as fast as it could.

The crow expanded into a man that Ruby and Weiss recognized. It was their uncle Qrow. He was dressed in his standard ensemble, and he bounced his clockwork sword/scythe on his shoulder confidently staring down at the remnants of the Grey's Son. "Looks like I barely made it in time." He kicked the pathetic thing, and it made a sound of pain as it rolled across the ground.

He looked up around the school and seemed to notice its state of destruction. "Well crap. Looks like you guys had one hell of a party without me. I'm hurt." He poked his sword at the Grey's Son and a dark look crossed his face. "You hurt my nieces. You killed someone I considered a sister." His glare became fierce. "You bastard. Death is too good for you, but I'm in a good mood, so I guess I'll give you more than you deserve. Kinda like paying 100 dollars for a 5 dollar drink." With those words, he drove his blade through the tiny creature, which shattered into colorless pebbles.

Qrow remained frozen for a long moment. He broke the still and quiet with a shuddering breath and grabbed a silver flask from his belt. He poured a little bit of a golden-brown liquid onto the ground around the Grey's Son. Then he brought the container to his lips and drank noisily from it for a minute.

When the contents were empty he turned it upside down and shook it. Looking disappointed he put it back onto his belt and then sat heavily on a nearby broken stone. "Hey girls." He didn't even look at them. "I'm sorry I didn't make it here earlier." His red eyes brimmed with unshed tears. "Just like I didn't make there for Summer..."

Ruby and Yang fought to their feet and helped each other limp to their uncle. "At least you made it for the after-party." The blonde said, blinking her one good eye.

Qrow looked startled, as if he had been prepared for a beat down. He blinked and then smirked, wiping away the moisture in his eyes. "Heh, yeah. Better make sure it's a good one. Looks like the regular party brought down the house."

* * *

It was several days later when Glynda, with the help of some others, was able to reconstruct Beacon. She was still wounded, but she fought off an overly-concerned Ozpin. She insisted that the students had had enough of a break, and needed to get back to class. A feast was held in honor of team RWBY and JNPR, which had done the lion's share of the fighting during the siege.

After the feast, team RWBY met with just Qrow in a private chamber, while he explained the murky history between him, his sister, and the Grey's Son. "… So yeah, only someone who wasn't afraid of anything could finish off the last of the Grey's Son."

"Uhm, but I thought fear was supposed to be a good thing." Blake cocked her head. "I mean, they have whole lectures about not letting it get the best of you, and how it's healthy. Only a fool doesn't have fear."

"Well, I guess that makes me the world's biggest idiot, doesn't it?" Qrow winked, rocking back on his chair.

"I'm certainly not going to argue that." Weiss chimed in.

The group shared a laugh.

Qrow sombered quickly, and he looked directly at Ruby. "That aside, I think it's time you learned the truth of how your mother died."

The room went dead silent at the words. Eventually, the young team leader nodded.

"It's not going to be easy for you to hear either, Yang." He shot his niece a look out of the corner of his eye. He sucked in a breath and leaned forward. "Raven made a deal with the Grimm." Shocked gasps ran throughout team RWBY at the words. "Summer and I had beaten the Grey's Son to rights, but I was badly hurt during the battle. Raven stepped in and told me that she would handle it from there. I've never been close to her before, so I guess I should have been suspicious, but I was so damn tired that I wasn't."

The old huntsman looked up at the ceiling. "I took a nap. When I tried to get a hold of Summer to find out what happened, she wouldn't answer. That's when I called Raven…"His eyes narrowed into hateful slits and his next words were hissed. "That's when she told me that she didn't want the fight with the Grey's Sons to end. When it did, we would stop reincarnating, and Raven fancied herself immortal. She wouldn't be anymore if the last of the Grey's Sons was killed.

"I hung up on her and ran to where we'd fought it. It was gone, but Summer's…" Qrow chocked and had to clear his throat. "Her body was there. I swore then that I'd end this stupid game while I was still this Qrow. In her honor, and for you kids." He smiled sadly. "Thanks for helping me."

"… Will you help me kill my mother?" Yang asked quietly, her eyes a fiery red.

"Heh, you got spunk, kid." Qrow chuckled grimly. "However, that's already been taken care. It's kinda the reason Ozpin and I weren't able to help you. Raven jumped Glynda, held off Ozpin, and then I jumped her. Had to leave the stupid bitch alive until the Grey's Son was dead though. When I let Ozpin know, he…" Qrow's grin turned violent. "Well, let's just say he didn't take kindly to Glynda being wounded."

"So what now?" Ruby asked, her eyes wide.

"Well, there's still an awful lot of Grimm out there." Qrow propped his chair back onto its hind legs again. "There's still the White Fang. And somewhere out there is THE Grimm. My last wish is to see that go down while I'm still around too…"

"So nothing too big, then?" Blake rolled her eyes.

"Nope. Just some good company and a lot of ass-kicking." Qrow answered with impishly.

* * *

Chapter Fifteen! Woot! First, I have a couple of things to address. First: it's been brought to my attention that I'm using quite a bit of "Deus Ex Machina" here. It's going to continue a little bit in the epilogue, but I'm okay with that. I didn't write "Tsubomi" to be "a plot to end all plots" kinda thing. Heck, I didn't even have a plot in mind when I started, other than White Rose goodness. So I hope you enjoyed it, even if it was a bit cliché. Second: if you didn't notice; double update again! So I'm not going to mention my normal stuff about profile and reviews (except I just did, oops). Now, onto the epilogue!


	16. Epilogue: Dawn

Epilogue: Dawn

Yep, this is the end. I'll leave my tears and notes for after.

Disclaimers: No escaping them, is there…? RWBY isn't mine. If you want, you can check. If you find out differently, let me know.

* * *

The events of the battle with the Grey's Son were too vast to slip unmentioned into the annals of history. It was later known as the Grey Night, though few knew why. Many accounts spread throughout the world of Remnant, but all agreed on one thing only. All knew who it was that they owed their thanks to. Teams RWBY and JNPR led the rest of their lives with fame, even if they themselves sought to stay from the limelight. Each member continued on to great things.

History agrees that Ren and Nora were married at a quiet ceremony with only close friends and family. Ren never enjoyed the attention that came their way, and out of respect for her childhood friend and husband, Nora allowed them to fade out of the spotlight. Many mysterious hunts were still credited to their name. As were some rather flamboyant ones.

Pyrrha and Juane also married, though theirs was a public event. She was an unparalleled warrior who maintained many world records, while still being a successful huntswoman. Eventually she put up her spear after the birth of their third child. Each of the children became a renowned warrior. Juane raised his shield and sword only when necessary, instead taking a leadership position and helped begin the world down the path to peace. He never quite overcame his awkwardness, but it led to him becoming a beloved figurehead, rather than a joke.

Blake and Yang never married, but after they quelled the White Fang, they took over Beacon academy after Ozpin and Glynda retired. Yang never regained the use of her damaged eye, but the eye-patch that she got added to her aura of danger. None lightly crossed her. Blake was a shadow to the blonde, her Yin, if you would. She never shone brighter than her partner, but her knowledge and presence was her shadow wherever she went.

As for Ruby and Weiss…

* * *

Three years after the events of the events of the battle with the Grey's Son, Ruby breathed anxiously as she stood at the front of a huge crowd of people. The gathered assembly was huge. Large enough to make her forget where she was standing.

Weiss elbowed her fiancée in the ribs quickly, grinning at the mass beneath them. "This is your wedding day." She hissed, her lips remaining perfectly in that mask she presented to those gathered. "You're supposed to look happy."

The two girls were dressed in white dresses. The cut to Ruby's was simple, yet elegant. It wasn't adorned with gaudy baubles, and instead let the fact of its appearance speak for itself. Weiss's on the other hand, was adorned with many elaborate additions. Yet it somehow maintained a regal elegance. Like those additions belonged on the dress because the woman wearing it deserved more.

"I am happy," Ruby whispered back. "But there are so many people…"

"What did you expect? I'm a Schnee, and you're one of the heroes of the Grey Night. Everyone wants to see our ceremony." The heiress rolled her eyes.

"I still don't know why we couldn't have eloped. We could have found a quiet little out-of-the-way place… And then made like bunnies." The corner of the scythe-wielder's mouth barely moved, even while her face heated up.

"You keep up that sweet talk, and I might just take you up on that offer."

Ruby was about to lean in to whisper more nothings into her lover's ear when Ozpin walked onto the stage. He was the one to administer their ceremony, and there was absolutely no backing out now.

Being that the headmaster was not big on grandstanding; the words he gave were simple. He spoke briefly of commitment, heroism, and the endurance of love. Then he motioned towards the brides, and it was time for the vows.

Up first was Weiss, who serenly smiled at the crowd. She then turned to Ruby, devoting her attention to her and joining their hands. The younger girl could see through the façade the silver-haired girl was presenting, and gave her an encouraging nod. Weiss acknowledged the gesture with her own nod and then drew a deep breath. "When I first met you, Ruby, I was convinced that you were an absolute fool. A bumbling ignoramus, worse maybe even than Juane."

She grinned shyly. "But it was as if you matured right under my eyes. You proved yourself a capable leader, a good tactician, and an excellent warrior. You were even a great friend, one that I had been blind to at first. Then I realized that you had always been those things, right from the moment I met you. It was me that matured during our time together."

Ruby, you've shown me how to be a better person. How to grow and challenge not only those around me, but myself. You make me realize each and every day that my love and devotion can only lie at your feet. Today is about formalizing our relationship, but I've been yours for a long time. I can give you nothing more of myself than I already have, but I hope, no, I know that as I grow I will give anything new of mine to you. Body, heart, and soul; it's nothing but what belongs to you."

Blinking away a few tears, Ruby squeezed the heiress's hands tightly. "Wow, I uh…" She raised one gloved hand to wipe her eyes. "You're going to make me cry in front of all these people." She took a couple of calming breaths. "Whew. Okay."

The dark-haired girl focused on Weiss and suddenly it was as if the rest of the world had faded away. "Weiss, I love you. I know I'm not very capable when it comes to playing with words, despite the fact that I've faked that fact a few times over the years. Like you said, I'm very simple, and don't have much to offer. So what I do have to give you is something that I sometimes worry isn't enough. You're the type of person that should expect the greater things from life. Not because you're stuck-up, but because this world wasn't made for someone as good as you."

So when you say that you're mine, I'm left wondering what I did to deserve you. 'Cause I honestly don't know." Ruby sniffed as her vision began to cloud. "Just know that as much as you have to offer, I can only offer myself. I pray that it's enough, because my soul couldn't bear to be without you. I'm unmistakably and irrevocably yours. And I have no regrets."

"You may now exchange rings." Ozpin smiled at them gently. The girls hastily exchanged rings. "By the authority I carry, I now seal your marriage. You may kiss as equal spouses."

Ruby had thought that Weiss would want to keep the kiss chaste and short, particularly in front of such a large crowd. She was wrong. The kiss was heated and hot, and nothing if not arousing. It lasted just long enough for Ruby to start to kiss back before her wife teasingly pulled back, grinning evilly from ear to ear.

The younger girl remembered very little of the party that came after the ceremony. She was intent on paying Weiss back for that kiss. Later that night, she did.

Some weeks past, and Weiss returned from a mission to find her wife sitting with a shocked expression at the table in their small house. She dropped her gear unceremoniously by the doorway and rushed to her side. "Ruby, what's wrong?"

The silver-eyed girl blinked several times before she noticed that Weiss was back. "Oh, hi Weiss." She looked up and smiled vaguely. "I thought she was joking."

"Who was joking? What happened?" The heiress had never seen her wife look like this before, and she was starting to panic.

"Dust. Remember what I told you about me being the last of her line…?" Ruby's eyes started to clear.

"Yeah, that your very being is important to our survival." Weiss prompted the younger girl to continue.

"No, not that bit. I try not to think about that. It's the other thing about that."

"You mean where she said that you'd… eventually…" The older girl trailed off. "Uhm… Ruby… Are you… Late?"

Ruby nodded slowly. "Weiss, we're going to be moms."

Weiss knelt next to Ruby as if she'd been it over the head at least as hard as the Grey's Son had ever hit. Then she burst into tears and pulled her wife to her tightly. "Oh, but I do love you!"

* * *

… Weiss made good on her proposal, and the girls' wedding was the event of the century. Mysteriously afterwards, they disappeared from the records for a time, along with a certain old Qrow. Fifteen years later, the Grimm of the world suddenly stopped being as aggressive, less a threat to civilization and more a dangerous nuisance. A young woman, closely resembling Weiss and Ruby made her appearance. Named White Rose, she enrolled at Beacon academy, where she was heard to call Blake and Yang forms of the word "aunt". She tried to avoid the topic, but when pressed she would admit that Weiss and Ruby were her mothers. When asked about Qrow, she would merely say that he "got his wish".

* * *

And… And that's it… I'm… done with "Tsubomi". Holy Qrow! I know there are some problems with the story as a whole, some holes that you could probably drive a semi through, but I like the way it's turned out nonetheless. Obviously, like I mentioned before, this story diverges from the cannon of "RWBY", but I hope I made enough nods towards it that it was good.

I just want to say a few more words in closing. It's been awesome writing this, and everyone's been very inspiring. The amount of positive feedback I got was overwhelming. I may eventually come back with another story for RWBY, but probably nothing on this scale. It's been exhausting, as equally as it's been fulfilling. I hope you enjoyed reading this story.

Quick addendum: I posted this chapter and then Ash mentioned something to me. The whole magical pregnancy thing is a little much. Really, it was an afterthought that grew on me. I had the idea of Ruby being the last living descendant of Dust about two months ago, but when I was writing chapter 15, I realized that the line would die out with Ruby. So, I just sort of tacked on that bit. I apologize if it's too much, but the idea kinda tickles me, so it stays. Hope you understand now, even if it's still really weird.

I still plan on writing, so check out my profile page and leave a review. Have a wonderful life, and thanks for reading!


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